European stocks close: stocks closed mixed ahead of a speech by the Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen

Stock indices closed mixed ahead of a speech by the Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen later in the day. Market participants will closely monitor her comments for hints of further monetary policy actions.

European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member Jozef Makuch said on Tuesday that the effect of negative interest rates was almost exhausted. He added that the central bank was ready to add further stimulus measures if needed.

Market participants also eyed the economic data from the Eurozone. The European Central Bank (ECB) released its M3 money supply figures on Monday. M3 money supply rose 5.0% in February from last year, in line with expectations, after a 5.0 % increase in January.

Loans to the private sector in the Eurozone climbed 1.6% in February from the last year, beating expectations for a 1.4% rise, after a 1.4% gain in January.

Total credit to euro area residents increased to 3.2% year-on-year in February from 2.6% in January.

Loans to non-financial corporations rose to 0.9% year-on-year in February from 0.6% in January.

Bank of England's (BoE) Financial Policy Committee (FPC) released the minutes from its meeting on March 23. The FPC said that the referendum on Britain's membership in the European Union (EU) was the most significant short-term domestic risk to financial stability. The committee noted that the uncertainty around the outcome of the referendum could lead to a further depreciation of the pound and to higher costs for U.K. borrowers.

Indexes on the close:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,105.9 -0.58 -0.01 %

DAX 9,887.94 +36.59 +0.37 %

CAC 40 4,366.67 +36.99 +0.85 %