European markets closed higher on Thursday as investors monitored developments in the U.S.-China trade war and digested comments from central bank officials.
Stocks trimmed gains slightly during the afternoon session, after European Central Bank (ECB) policymaker Klass Knot said he saw no reason for quantitative easing to be resumed in the region, according to Bloomberg. Soft inflation data had earlier reinforced expectations that the ECB will inject stimulus into the economy next month, providing an additional boost to stocks.
Although Knot’s comments briefly dented sentiment, the pan-European Stoxx 600 pared losses to end the session more than 1,04% higher to 376.74, with all sectors and major bourses in positive territory.
Source: CNBC