Europe's STOXX 600 clocks best week in 3 months on rate optimism

By Pranav Kashyap and Shubham Batra

(Reuters) -European shares ended the week with healthy gains as upbeat risk sentiment prevailed globally following a slew of U.S. data, but the focus now turns to the keenly-awaited speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at Jackson Hole next week.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.3% on the day, still hovering at its two-week high and logging its best week since May 6. For the week, the index was up 2.4%.

London's FTSE 100 was the weakest among its major European peers, ticking 0.4% lower after British retail sales rose 0.5% in July, in line with forecasts. Italy's FTSE MIB outperformed peers with a 2.2% gain.

The automobile sector was the top gainer for the day, rising 1.2% boosted by gains in Ferrari, which rose 3.1%, and Stellantis that gained 1.9% despite the European-American automaker being sued by shareholders in the U.S., who said the firm defrauded them by concealing rising inventories and other weaknesses.

U.S. retail sales data on Thursday signalled resilient consumer spending, allaying fears of an imminent recession in the world's largest economy.

Investor sentiment stumbled in early August as a weak U.S. jobs report coupled with Bank of Japan raising interest rates sparked fears of a looming recession and led to a global equity sell-off.

The STOXX 600 has since rebounded, erasing all losses as a series of positive U.S. data eased recession worries.

Markets will look forward to next week's Jackson Hole event in Wyoming, one of the premier global central bank gatherings where Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is expected to speak.

"Next week is going to be a big week ... there's always a lot of expectation going into Jackson Hole," said Julien Lafargue, chief market strategist at Barclays Private Bank.

"Unless data comes in that says otherwise, it looks like Jackson Hole will be an opportunity for Powell to preempt a 25 basis point cut in September."

The tech sector, which was one of the most affected by the recent rout had its longest winning streak in more than six months.

Despite likely volatility, there could be a window of opportunity for European equities as investors hesitate to increase U.S. stock exposure given uncertainly over upcoming election, Barclays' Lafargue said.

Bayer jumped 10.4% after it won a legal victory in its fight to limit liability from claims that its Roundup weed killer causes cancer.

UBS gained 0.7% after the Swiss bank said it will liquidate a $2 billion real estate fund it acquired when it bought Credit Suisse.

(Reporting by Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Alan Barona)