Alstom employees work in the locomotives assembly workshop. Alstom gained 5.6 per cent after the French train maker set terms of a planned €1 billion rights issue as part of broader actions to repair its finances. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
The decline came as key policymakers at the ECB said the bank had room to cut interest rates as inflation slows but must take its time in easing policy, even if the direction of travel is already clear.The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed 0.3 per cent higher, in touching distance of an all-time high hit earlier this month.
Most of the major Stoxx 600 sectors closed higher, with utilities leading the charge with a 1.1 per cent jump, while automobiles added about 1 per cent.
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