European stocks close: stocks closed mixed on concerns over Greek default and on mixed corporate earnings

Stock indices closed mixed on concerns over Greek default and on mixed corporate earnings. Greece is still running out of cash, and it needs a new tranche of loans. The Greek government hopes to unlock a new tranche of loans (€7.2 billion) at the Eurogroup meeting on April 24. Some European officials expressed concerns that an agreement between Greece and its creditors will be signed this week.

The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel at EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ruled out the Greek exit from the Eurozone.

Eurozone's consumer confidence index declined to -4.6 in April from -4.0 in March. Analysts had expected the index to climb to -3.0.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) released its April meeting minutes on Wednesday. All members voted to keep the central bank's monetary policy unchanged.

Two members of the nine MPC said that the decision not to hike interest rate in April was "finely balanced."

MPC members noted that the economy in the Eurozone grew strongly than expected.

Indexes on the close:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 7,028.24 -34.69 -0.5 %

DAX 11,867.37 -72.21 -0.6 %

CAC 40 5,211.09 +18.45 +0.4 %