11:58 AM EDT, 10/15/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed higher in Thursday trading on strong earnings reports, despite investor concerns that central banks will raise rates following a higher-than-expected US inflation report late Wednesday.

The Stoxx Europe rose 0.3%, Germany's DAX gained 0.3%, the FTSE 100 climbed 1.1%, France's CAC advanced 0.8%, and the Swiss Market Index surged 1.6%.

In corporate news, UBS Group is preparing contingency plans to move its headquarters out of Switzerland as lawmakers consider tougher capital requirements, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Options under discussion include buying a US financial institution and relocating, merging with a European rival or selling to a US firm, the report said, adding that UBS is not in active deal talks and has taken no formal steps toward a transaction.

The company estimates the proposed rules could cost it about $16 billion in additional capital, according to The Wall Street Journal. The measures would reduce the risk of a banking crisis following the 2023 collapse of Credit Suisse, which UBS acquired, it added.

UBS declined to comment.

Shares of the Swiss bank decreased 0.1% in Zurich.

AstraZeneca said Thursday that it has signed a drug discovery and licensing deal with Insitro to develop treatments for fatty liver disease and heart muscle disorders.

The deal stipulates that AstraZeneca will pay $40 million upfront, with Insitro eligible for up to $1.46 billion in potential development and commercial milestones, AstraZeneca said.

Insitro will use its artificial intelligence platform to identify disease drivers and move AstraZeneca-selected targets toward development candidates, AstraZeneca said.

The agreement carries potential single-digit royalties based on global commercial sales and gives AstraZeneca exclusive worldwide rights to any programs that emerge, AstraZeneca said.

The work targets fatty liver disease, also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis or MASH, and cardiomyopathies, it said.

Shares of the British pharmaceutical company rose 3.2% in London.

Ericsson reported Q3 earnings Thursday of 1.77 Swedish krona ($0.18) per diluted share, down from 3.33 krona a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected 1.44 krona.

Net sales for the quarter ended Sept. 30 were 59.48 billion krona, up from 56.24 billion krona a year earlier. Analysts expected 55.28 billion krona.

The company also announced plans to establish a new Asia-Pacific market area from Jan. 1, combining its existing North East Asia and South East Asia, Oceania and India market areas for operational efficiency across the regions.

Patrick Johansson, currently head of market Area Europe, Middle East and Africa, will lead the new market area APAC unit, the company said.

Shares of the Swedish telecommunications company surged 6.8% in Stockholm.

TotalEnergies expects Q3 hydrocarbon production of 2.45 million to 2.50 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, up more than 4% year over year, excluding the impact of the Middle East conflict, the company said Thursday.

The company expects strong downstream results, with refining and chemicals cash flow projected to rise $2 billion quarter over quarter on higher refining margins and a 10% increase in throughput.

Integrated LNG results are expected to rise "sharply" on a 20% increase in average prices and stronger trading, TotalEnergies said, adding that integrated power cash flow is projected at $750 million to $800 million from a full-quarter contribution from TTEP, a joint venture with EPH.

Shares of the French oil and gas major edged 0.1% higher in Paris.

Equinor will complete the electrification of the Troll oil-and-gas drilling platforms offshore Norway, but with some modifications to a 2021 plan, the company said Thursday.

Equinor has informed the Norwegian Ministry of Energy that the Troll West Electrification project will be completed after installing only the first electric export compressor on Troll C, but without installing a second compressor, as originally outlined in a 2021 plan, the company said.

By bringing electricity from onshore to the Troll platforms, instead of running gas-powered generators onsite, the partial electrification of Troll B and Troll C has reduced emissions by 330,000 tons of CO2 per year, Equinor said.

The Troll project is expected to make 2.3 billion cubic meters of additional gas available to the European market in 2027 and 2028, Equinor said.

Shares of the Norwegian petroleum refiner were off 0.6% in Oslo.

Royal Philips said Thursday that the EXIT-CVD research consortium has launched a five-year, 27.6 million-euro ($30.9 million) research project to study cardiovascular disease detection, monitoring and treatment across Europe.

The project will be led by University Medical Center Groningen and Royal Philips, with co-funded from the European Union's Innovative Health Initiative and industry partners.

Shares of the Dutch medical tech company gained 1.1% in Amsterdam.

http://www.mtnewswires.com
Copyright © 2026 MT Newswires. All rights reserved. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.