European stock markets closed mostly higher in Friday trading as the FTSE 100 in London was up 0.3%, France's CAC 40 gained 0.19%, The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.26%, the Swiss Market Index advanced 0.39%, while Germany's DAX lost 0.12%.
The eurozone's seasonally-adjusted gross domestic product rose 0.6% in Q1, following a revised 0.3% increase in the previous three-month period, according to Eurostat's third estimate. The latest reading compares with the second estimate of a 0.4% gain.
On a yearly basis, the euro area's economy grew 1.5%, compared with the second estimate and the previous 1.2% increase.
Final data from Eurostat showed that the number of employed individuals in the region rose by 0.2% in Q1, after a 0.1% increase in the prior three-month period. The figure is below the flash estimate of a 0.3% increase. Year-over-year, employment growth in the region eased to 0.7% from the previous and expected 0.8%.
In corporate news, Swiss lender UBS may need up to $26 billion in additional capital under proposed financial reforms in the country, according to a Swiss Federal Department of Finance document. UBS declined immediate comment.
British lender HSBC is considering former McKinsey chief Kevin Sneader as a potential successor for its outgoing Chairman Mark Tucker, Sky News reported, citing sources in the City of London. HSBC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.
Amazon has vowed to "enhance" its systems to tackle fake reviews on its online marketplace, the UK Competition and Markets Authority said. "We invest significant resources to proactively stop fake reviews ever appearing on our store," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement e-mailed to MT Newswires.
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's obesity and diabetes drug semaglutide has a "very rare side effect" whereby patients taking the drug could develop a condition that may cause loss of vision, the European Medicines Agency said.
French energy giant TotalEnergies defended its use of natural gas as a transition fuel in promotional materials during its rebranding in a trial in France, the Financial Times reported. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.
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