European stocks end Thursday lower

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - European stock markets closed the fourth trading day of the week with a decline, except for the UK's FTSE 100.

The Bank of England (BoE) on Thursday raised its interest rate by 25 basis points to 1%, the highest level since 2009.

Six of the Monetary Policy Committee's nine members backed the move, while three voted for a hike of 50 basis points, the BoE said in a statement.

With this decision, the policy rate in the UK increased for the fourth time since December last year.

Germany's DAX 30 index fell 0.49% to 13,902.52 points, while the CAC 40 index in France closed at 6,368.40 points with a decrease of 0.43%.

Italy's FTSE MIB 30 index closed at 23,759.71 points, down 0.60%, whereas the UK's FTSE 100 index increased by 0.13% to 7,503.27 points.