Wall Street ended mixed ahead of August's jobs report while equities on the other side of the Atlantic advanced on European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's promise of additional stimulus if needed.
After the ECB downgraded its forecasts for euro-zone growth and inflation, Draghi said policy makers had decided to lift the share of bonds the central bank can buy under its quantitative easing program, while hinting that the program might extend beyond September 2106.
"The information available indicates a continued though somewhat weaker economic recovery and a slower increase in inflation rates compared with earlier expectations," Draghi told a press conference. "More recently, renewed downside risks have emerged to the outlook for growth and inflation."
The Governing Council "emphasises its willingness and ability to act, if warranted, by using all the instruments available within its mandate and, in particular, recalls that the asset purchase program provides sufficient flexibility in terms of adjusting the size, composition and duration of the program," Draghi said.
In Europe, the Stoxx 600 Index ended the session with a 2.4 percent rally from the previous close.