European equities advanced after the ECB President Mario Draghi declared that the central bank will do whatever is necessary to keep the monetary union in tact. U.S. index futures and Asian stocks also climbed on the news. Banco Santander SA was the biggest gainer among financials, addding 4.4%. At the same time, Unilever rallied 5.1% after its sales figures came in better than expected. France Telecom SA gained 2.2% after the company also announced results that beat analysts’ expectations. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed by 0.8% to trade at 252.49, after switching from gains to losses at least ten times today. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures expiring in September added 0.4%, while, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rallied by 0.8%.
