European equities settling in, another tentative vote of confidence for the ECB

European stocks are settling higher after a volatile start to the morning

The DAX is keeping 1.6% gains now with other major indices such as the Stoxx 600 and CAC 40 also keeping gains well above 1% to start the morning.

Italy's FTSE MIB is the big outperformer, rising by nearly 5%, as bank stocks in the region shoot higher after the ECB stimulus that was announced overnight.

Alongside the reaction in the bond market, this is another tentative vote of confidence for the ECB but let's see if the mood can keep up over the next few sessions.