12:16 PM EDT, 10/02/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European stock markets closed mostly higher in Thursday trading as The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.59%, Germany's DAX gained 1.35%, the FTSE 100 was off 0.2%, France's CAC increased 1.13%, and the Swiss Market Index advanced 0.54%.

The euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose to 6.3% in August from 6.2% in July, and was unchanged from a year earlier, while European Union unemployment was unchanged versus the previous month as well as from a year earlier at 5.9%, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU.

The highest rates of unemployment were in Spain (10.3%), Finland (9.8%), and Sweden (8.7%), while the lowest rates were in Slovenia and Malta with 2.9% each, followed by Poland and Czechia at 3.2% each.

And in corporate news, shares of Stellantis rose 8.3% in Milan on Thursday after the company's FCA US unit reported total sales of 324,825 vehicles in Q3, up 6% from a year earlier. The increase was driven by sales growth across the Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, and FIAT brands, the carmaker said. September sales rose 16%, marking the company's highest monthly market share in the US in 15 months, according to Stellantis.

The European automaker is also looking to potentially sell its Free2move car-sharing business, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the situation. The move could be part of Chief Executive Antonio Filosa's plan to exit unprofitable businesses and focus investments on core assets and regions, according to the report. The company didn't immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment on the matter.

Ryanair expects to cancel 600 flights per day next week due to a strike by French air traffic controllers, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing a company spokesperson. As many as 1,800 Ryanair flights may be scrapped from Oct. 7 to Oct. 9 during the strike, the report said, adding the airline has already cancelled 30 flights on Thursday due to a general strike in France.

A Ryanair spokesperson, in reply to a request for comment from MT Newswires, pointed to an interview by Chief Executive Michael O'Leary with Sky News.

O'Leary told Sky News the strike next week is expected to cost Ryanair about 20 million pounds ($26.8 million) and that 100,000 passengers may see their flights disrupted.

Shares of the Irish airline were off 0.4% in Dublin.

Banco Santander plans to launch a fund that invests in significant risk transfers, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. The investment vehicle will be headed by Josephine Meertens, the Spanish bank's managing director for alternative investments, the sources told the news outlet.

Banco Santander didn't immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

Shares of the Spanish lender declined 2.7% in Madrid.

Deutsche Bank's global head of environmental, social, and governance, and sustainable finance for fixed income and currencies, Clair Coustar, announced her departure in a social media post Wednesday. Coustar's departure comes after Deutsche Bank's Chief Sustainability Officer Jorg Eigendorf earlier announced the appointment of Esra Turk as the global head of sustainable finance for Deutsche Bank Investment Bank, a newly created role, in a separate LinkedIn post.

Deutsche Bank did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

Shares of the German bank fell 0.2% in Frankfurt.

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