European stocks rise on rate cut hopes, healthcare sector hits record high
For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window
Euro zone business activity gets boost from Olympics- PMI
ECB policymakers shift focus to September meeting
UK's JD Sports gains on Q2 sales rise
GN hits bottom of STOXX as earnings miss expectations
DB rises after settlement with some plaintiffs
STOXX 600 up 0.4%
Updated at 1600 GMT
By Ankika Biswas and Pranav Kashyap
Aug 22 (Reuters) -Europe's main stock index climbed on Thursday, with healthcare and retail stocks leading the charge, while investors cheered growing prospects of interest rate cuts by major central banks and sifted through a wave of economic data globally.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX closed 0.4% higher, rising for the second day and closing at its highest level in thismonth.
The retail sector .SXRP rose to the top, boosted by an11% jump in JD Sports JD.L after the British sportswear retailer reported an improvement in second-quarter underlying sales growth.
Swiss pharmaceutical company Siegfried Holding SFZN.S advanced 7% after better-than-expected first-half results, while Biomerieux BIOX.PA rose nearly 6% after UBS initiated coverage of the French biotechnology stock with a "buy".
The healthcare sector .SXDP hit a record high, also thanks to a 2.4% rise in Europe's most valuable company by market value, Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO.
With market participants broadly pricing in a 25-basis-pointrate cut by both the Fed and the ECB in September, the occurrence of these could provide a fresh boost to risk assets globally.
The European Central Bank's July meeting minutes showed policymakers saw no urgency in cutting rates but hinted at a fresh discussion in September due to growth concerns.
Different data sets showed euro zone business activity had surprisingstrength in August, potentially weakening expectations for two more rate cuts from the ECB, while last quarter's slowing negotiated wage growth bolstered the case for a September rate cut.
"While further ECB cuts are on the way - we see cuts in September and December this year - the broader path is likely to be gradual and subject to considerable uncertainty," said Chris Hare, senior economist at HSBC.
Investors also awaited policymakers' commentary at Jackson Hole this week, hoping that the world's most influential central bank, theU.S. Federal Reserve, will kick off its rate-cutting cycle next month.
Over in the U.S., weekly jobless claims ticked up but were steadying near levels consistent with gradual labour market cooling that should aid a September U.S. rate cut.
As for other individual stocks, Deutsche Bank DBKGn.DE rose 4% after announcing settlements with someplaintiffs in Postbank acquisition lawsuits.
Reinsurance company Swiss Re SRENH.S gained 4.5% after results, while CTS Eventim EVDG.DE surged 6% after the German ticketing group raised its full-year earnings forecast.
Aegon AEGN.AS fell 5.4% after the Dutch insurer booked a charge of around $400 million in the first half of 2024, while Danish hearing aid and audio solutions maker GN Store Nord GN.CO dropped 9% after second-quarter results miss.
Reporting by Pranav Kashyap and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza, Janane Venkatraman and Josie Kao
면책조항: XM Group 회사는 체결 전용 서비스와 온라인 거래 플랫폼에 대한 접근을 제공하여, 개인이 웹사이트에서 또는 웹사이트를 통해 이용 가능한 콘텐츠를 보거나 사용할 수 있도록 허용합니다. 이에 대해 변경하거나 확장할 의도는 없습니다. 이러한 접근 및 사용에는 다음 사항이 항상 적용됩니다: (i) 이용 약관, (ii) 위험 경고, (iii) 완전 면책조항. 따라서, 이러한 콘텐츠는 일반적인 정보에 불과합니다. 특히, 온라인 거래 플랫폼의 콘텐츠는 금융 시장에서의 거래에 대한 권유나 제안이 아닙니다. 금융 시장에서의 거래는 자본에 상당한 위험을 수반합니다.
온라인 거래 플랫폼에 공개된 모든 자료는 교육/정보 목적으로만 제공되며, 금융, 투자세 또는 거래 조언 및 권고, 거래 가격 기록, 금융 상품 또는 원치 않는 금융 프로모션의 거래 제안 또는 권유를 포함하지 않으며, 포함해서도 안됩니다.
이 웹사이트에 포함된 모든 의견, 뉴스, 리서치, 분석, 가격, 기타 정보 또는 제3자 사이트에 대한 링크와 같이 XM이 준비하는 콘텐츠 뿐만 아니라, 제3자 콘텐츠는 일반 시장 논평으로서 "현재" 기준으로 제공되며, 투자 조언으로 여겨지지 않습니다. 모든 콘텐츠가 투자 리서치로 해석되는 경우, 투자 리서치의 독립성을 촉진하기 위해 고안된 법적 요건에 따라 콘텐츠가 의도되지 않았으며, 준비되지 않았다는 점을 인지하고 동의해야 합니다. 따라서, 관련 법률 및 규정에 따른 마케팅 커뮤니케이션이라고 간주됩니다. 여기에서 접근할 수 있는 앞서 언급한 정보에 대한 비독립 투자 리서치 및 위험 경고 알림을 읽고, 이해하시기 바랍니다.