ECB chief Draghi disappoints markets

Investors failed to get a hoped-for signal from the ECB about a quick shot of stimulus, leaving markets mixed on Thursday, while the airline sector took a hit following a bleak outlook from EasyJet.

As expected, the European Central Bank did not announce any new measures at its regular policy meeting on Thursday.

However, investors had been looking to ECB chief Mario Draghi to hint strongly at a further loosening in monetary policy in September to deal with any slowdown caused by uncertainty after Britain's shock vote on June 23 to quit the European Union.

Draghi signalled the "readiness, willingness, ability" of ECB policymakers to use all the central bank's tools if needed, but also praised the resilience of the markets following the Brexit vote.

Matt Weller at Faraday Investment Research said Draghi struck a "slightly-less-dovish than expected tone" during his press conference.

Meanwhile, Joshua Mahony at financial derivatives trading house IG said the "key takeaway is that Draghi needs more data" before stepping up stimulus.

"Sufficient data may not be available by the next meeting, pointing towards longer delay," he tweeted.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 stock index added 0.2 percent but in Paris the CAC 40 dipped 0.3 percent.

The euro briefly spiked higher during Draghi's speech, but then fell back.

Expectations of further stimulus have led stocks to recover much of their losses following the surprise British vote to leave the EU.

Outside the eurozone, London's benchmark FTSE 100 stock index slid 0.3 percent in afternoon trading.

Sentiment was hit also by official data showing British retail sales sank in June by the heaviest amount in six months -- though on poor weather rather than uncertainty in the run-up to the Brexit vote.

- Flying low -

On the corporate front, shares in EasyJet fell 5.3 percent to 1,067 pence, as the boss of the British no-frills airline warned that carriers are facing one of their most challenging periods "for a long time", with peak summer bookings hit by terror attacks and Brexit uncertainty.

EasyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall's comments to reporters came after the airline published a third-quarter trading update that failed to provide a full-year profits forecast.

The airline's update weighed also on rivals, with shares in British Airways owner IAG shedding 3.5 percent to 406.2 pence and German carrier Lufthansa sliding 2.8 percent to 10.39 euros.

The absence of annual profits guidance "is not reassuring and highlights the wide range of potential outcomes, even at this late stage of the year", said Gerald Khoo, analyst at broker Liberum.

Asian stock markets mostly rose Thursday following a fresh record on Wall Street on Wednesday.

After a slight stumble Tuesday and Wednesday caused by profit-taking, the equities rally resumed with Tokyo again leading the pack following a report that Japan is planning a new, giant stimulus programme.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is eyeing a package of at least 20 trillion yen -- about double the size initially expected -- to kickstart the economy from years of slumber and light a fire under torpid inflation, Kyodo News agency said.

US stocks retreated at the opening bell on Thursday following a streak of record-setting sessions.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.2 percent in the first five minutes of trading, pulled lower by a 4.0 percent drop by chip-maker Intel which reported a 51 percent decline in second-quarter earnings to $1.3 billion.

- Key figures around 1330 GMT -

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,708.33 points

Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 0.2 percent at 10,156.78

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 4,368.03

EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.01 percent at 2,966.74

New York - DOW: DOWN percent at 18,559.18

New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.1 percent at 2,171.14

New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.1 percent at 5,092.36

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 16,810.22 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.54 percent at 22,000.49 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 3,039.01 (close)

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1013 from $1.1016

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3174 from $1.3197

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 106.40 yen from 106.87 yen