European stock markets end midweek mostly lower

By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - European stocks closed the third trading day of the week with losses, except for Germany, affected by the geopolitical risks stemming from US President Donald Trump's statements regarding Greenland.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down 0.05%, or 0.29 points, to close Wednesday at 604.99.

The UK's FTSE 100 index decreased by 0.74% to 10,048.21 points, and France's CAC 40 fell 0.04% to 8,233.92.

Italy's FTSE MIB index lost 0.43% to close at 45,558.68 points, and Spain's IBEX 35 was down 0.29% to 17,596.4.

In the plus column, Germany's DAX 40 index was up 0.92% to end at 25,122.26 points.

Geopolitical uncertainty dominated European markets after US President Trump argued that Russia and China were increasing their presence in strategically important Greenland.

"We need Greenland, from the standpoint of national security," Trump said Sunday.

And the White House announced that the Trump administration was considering various options to acquire Greenland, including using the US military.

On the data side, data released by Eurostat today showed that annual inflation in the Eurozone fell to 2% in December.

In Germany, the number of unemployed people increased by 23,000 in December 2025 compared to the previous month, due to the weak economy and winter holidays, marking the worst December figures since 2010.