European Indices Mixed Ahead of ECB Policy Meeting; Sports Direct Founder Ashley Pares Stake

European stock indices are mixed amid profit taking and nervousness that German pressure will prompt the European Central Bank to water down an eagerly awaited program of government bond buying that it’s expected to initiate tomorrow. In London the FTSE 100 enjoys a rare moment of outperformance as Bank of England minutes showed no policy makers voted to raise rates from historic lows two weeks ago. Share selling by the founder of Sports Direct makes the stock one of the main losers on the FTSE 100, while in Paris strong sales growth propels CAC 40 constituent Alstom and in Amsterdam chipmaker ASML cheers with a revenue update and a planned share buyback.