European stocks end higher as mood improves, Lufthansa jumps over 7%

European stocks closed higher on Thursday, as improving economic data and more support from the European Central Bank helped lift sentiment, while shares in Germany's Lufthansa jumped after a top shareholder backed a government bailout.
 

The pan-European STOXX 600 closed up 0.7% after a choppy session with automakers, financial services, banks and insurers the top gainers, rising between 1.6% and 2.4%.
 

Stocks picked up steam after the ECB said it would offer euro loans against collateral to central banks outside the euro area to backstop funding markets amid the coronavirus pandemic.
 

"The ECB took a fresh initiative today that caught