European shares close at one-month high on cooling U.S. inflation

By Ankika Biswas and Amruta Khandekar

(Reuters) -European stocks closed at a one-month high on Tuesday, after data showing cooling U.S. inflation raised expectations that the Federal Reserve had reached the end of its interest rate hikes and could start easing monetary policy soon.

The pan-European STOXX 600 added 1.3%, with rate-sensitive real estate stocks jumping 7.0% and at their highest level since March.

Data showed U.S. consumer prices rose 3.2% in October, moderating from a 3.7% increase in September and below expectations of a 3.3% rise. Core inflation also came in below expectations on a monthly and annual basis.

Supporting equities, euro zone bond yields dropped sharply after the data, with Italy's 10-year government bond yield dropping to its lowest in two months.

"In the U.S., the idea that there will be future rate hikes has been pretty much completely priced out of the market," said Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, highlighting that traders are pricing in rate cuts as soon as May.

"Certainly, in many ways the Fed sets the tone for a lot of the world central banks."

But the European Central Bank (ECB) is seen holding rates steady well into next year, with a majority of economists polled by Reuters sticking to forecasts that the first cut will have to wait until at least July.

Morgan Stanley economists, however, expect the ECB to deliver its first cut of 25 basis points in June.

Investors also digested preliminary data showing a marginal contraction in the euro zone economy in the third quarter, underlining expectations of a technical recession if the fourth quarter turns out equally weak.

The basic resources sector index jumped 3.7% as Glencore gained 4.5% after agreeing to buy a 77% stake in the steelmaking coal business of Canadian miner Teck Resources for $6.93 billion in cash.

Vodafone dropped 5.5% after the British telecoms group posted a fall in first-half revenue and said it was considering a range of options for Italy.

German online takeaway food company Delivery Hero jumped 10.4% after slightly raising its full-year forecast.

Informa jumped 5.3% as the British specialist data and events group increased its full-year revenue and profit expectations.

RWE gained 3.7% after Germany's top utility posted an 82% surge in core profit for the first nine months.

The FTSE 100 rose 0.2% but lagged regional peers after data showed third-quarter British wages remained close to record pace, doing little to ease the Bank of England's concerns about inflation pressures.

(Reporting by Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu, Arun Koyyur and Barbara lewis)

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