European Stocks Close Lower in Tuesday Trading; Energy, Defense Stocks Rise as Oil, Bond Yields Rise

11:46 AM EDT, 09/15/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed lower in Tuesday trading as energy and defense sector stocks rallied, while bank and luxury goods stocks declined amid rising oil prices and bond yields. The Stoxx Europe declined 0.4%, Germany's DAX was off 0.2%, the FTSE 100 fell 0.5%, France's CAC dropped 0.5%, and the Swiss Market Index closed 0.5% lower. In corporate news, GSK agreed to acquire a potential multiple myeloma T cell-engager therapy from Chimagen Biosciences for up to $750 million, the company said Tuesday. The deal includes an up-front payment plus development and commercial milestone payouts, the drugmaker said. GSK plans to develop and commercialize the therapy, with phase 1 trials expected to begin next year, the company said. Shares of GSK edged 0.1% lower in London. Telefonica's Telefonica Audiovisual Digital unit signed a non-exclusive agreement for the distribution of the DAZN LaLiga Package, which covers the Spanish First Division Football Championship, according to a Tuesday statement. The deal will run for five seasons from the 2027-2028 season to 2031-2032, with an average value of 330 million euros ($380.6 million) each season, the company said. The package includes five football matches per match-weekend over 38 match-weekends, to be offered on pay television to residential subscribers in Spain, Telefonica added. Telefonica said it also holds rights to the UEFA Champions League through 2031. Shares of the Spanish telecommunications operator lost 1% in Madrid. TotalEnergies and Mistral have agreed to launch a three-year program to develop artificial intelligence models for oil and gas reservoir development with an investment of more than 100 million euros ($115.4 million), the companies said Tuesday. The companies will establish a joint scientific laboratory that combines TotalEnergies' geoscience and reservoir engineering expertise with Mistral's AI capabilities, they said. Meanwhile TotalEnergies and Toyota Motor are among a group of companies planning to accelerate the launch of hydrogen-powered vehicles in Europe, Toyota said Tuesday. German authorities and industry leaders in Europe have arranged for the "scalable deployment" of hydrogen trucks by 2030, based on Germany's deployment model, according to the statement. Shares of TotalEnergies gained 1.1% in Paris. BHP workers at its Port Hedland facility in Australia are set to seek arbitration following the parties' failure to agree on terms for a new wage deal, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing the Combined BHP Ports Unions. The union will apply for an intractable bargaining declaration that allows the Fair Work Commission to establish terms for the deal, according to the report. BHP and the Fair Work Commission didn't immediately respond to MT Newswires' requests for comment. Shares of the mining company dropped 0.5% in London. Eni and Senegal have signed a memorandum of understanding to assess the oil and gas potential of five offshore blocks, Senegal Energy Minister El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf said Tuesday. The agreement will see Eni finance and conduct geological and geophysical studies and technical analyses of the blocks, according to the statement. Shares of the Italian oil and gas major advanced 1.5% in Milan. Nokia and Telxius are deploying 800G optical technology across terrestrial networks in Europe, the US and Latin America to meet rising cloud, AI and data-center connectivity demand, the companies said Tuesday. The collaboration leverages Nokia's ICE-X 800G ZR/ZR+ technology and IP-over-DWDM networking to increase capacity while lowering power and space requirements, the companies said. Shares of the Finnish telecommunications company increased 0.7% in Helsinki. BP said Monday its Whiting refinery team held talks with the United Steelworkers Local 7-1 committee. The company said discussions were generally constructive and that it remains committed to bargaining in good faith. BP is proposing a six-year agreement with modernized job structures, training and upskilling, base wage increases and a $2,500 lump sum signing bonus. Shares of BP rose 1.3% in London.