European Equities Closed Mixed after Draghi Speech

European shares closed mixed on Thursday, after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi hinted as to the possibility of further aggressive stimulus measures and hit back at claims of dissent at the Bank.

The French CAC index closed provisionally 0.5 percent higher, while the German DAX was up 0.7 at market close. However, the Italian FTSE MIB ended the session around 0.8 percent lower and the Spain’s IBEX closed down around 0.2 percent.
“It is fairly normal to disagree about things,” Draghi said at his regular press conference on Thursday, after the bank decided to keep interest rates at their record lows.  The president had been the subject of speculation that members of the ECB Governing Council were planning to challenge him over his management and communication style.