European stocks closed higher on Thursday as investors digested the latest news regarding the coronavirus outbreak and efforts to ease lockdown measures.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed up by more than 1% provisionally, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory. Retail stocks were the best performers, climbing over 3%.

Coronavirus data remains in focus as the U.S. and Europe cautiously lift lockdowns; the virus has now killed at least 264,000 people worldwide and there are over 3.7 million confirmed cases of Covid-19.

The Bank of England (BOE) on Thursday held interest rates at 0.1% but said it stands ready to take further action should the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic continue to deteriorate, with U.K. GDP (gross domestic product) expected to fall by 14% this year.

Source : CNBC