European stocks have strongest day in 6 months as ECB signals end to rate hikes

Sept 14 (Reuters) – European shares notched up their biggest percentage gain in six months on Thursday after the European Central Bank (ECB) signalled that its monetary tightening was nearing an end, while stronger commodity prices boosted miners and energy stocks.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) rose 1.5% to hit a more than one-week high, while the euro zone equities index (.STOXXE) climbed 1.3%.

European government bond yields retreated after the ECB raised its key interest rate to a record high of 4%, but with the euro zone economy in the doldrums, signalled this was likely to be its final move.

The rate-sensitive real estate sector (.SX86P) advanced 3.0%, while miners (.SXPP) jumped 4.2% to lead sectoral gains due to stronger metal prices.

Mike Bell, global liquidity market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management said that with business surveys indicating an imminent sharp slowdown in growth, the ECB is probably done hiking.

“Against the weaker growth backdrop, the ECB can probably pause at the next meeting and if the growth outlook continues to deteriorate a pause could morph into a peak.”

Denmark’s central bank also raised its key interest rate by 25 bps, following the ECB’s move earlier in the day.

UK’s resources-heavy FTSE 100 (.FTSE) outpaced regional peers with a 2.0% rise, while Oslo stocks (.OBX) jumped 1.8% to scale record highs.

The energy index (.SXEP) rose 2.4% as crude prices hit 2023 highs.

Bucking the trend, the autos index (.SXAP) declined 0.4%, with German automakers such as Mercedes (MBGn.DE), BMW (BMWG.DE) and Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) under pressure.

Beijing said the launch of a probe by the European Commission into China’s electric vehicle (EV) subsidies was protectionist and warned it would damage economic relations, a concern shared by Germany’s car industry.

Neste (NESTE.HE) climbed 4.1% as Goldman Sachs raised the Finnish oil refiner and biofuels producer’s stock rating to “buy”.

THG (THG.L) tumbled 21.3% after the British e-commerce firm forecast its annual revenue from continuing operations to come in flat or drop up to 5%.

French spirits companies Pernod Ricard (PERP.PA) and Remy Cointreau (RCOP.PA) dipped 0.3% and 1.4%, respectively, after Barclays downgraded the stocks to “underweight” from “overweight”.

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