European indexes close broadly higher in upbeat Friday to round out the week

• European stocks climbed, bolstered by improving risk appetite on rate cut hopes.
• The UK saw a slight return to growth as UK GDP rebounds.
• US PPI fell more than expected, driving sentiment even higher.

Major European equity indexes broadly gained ground on Friday, stepping up ahead of the trading week’s close after UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew more than expected. Bullish sentiment was sent even higher at the outset of the US trading session after US Producer Price Index (PPI) figures also fell below expectations, increasing bets of a sooner rate cut from the Federal Reserve (Fed).

UK GDP came in at 0.3% in November versus the forecast 0.2% rebound from October’s -0.3%, helping to spark a mild bull run in hesitant European markets.

The bullish sentiment swing pinned further into the high end after US PPI figures broadly slumped, with producer-level inflation cooling more than expected, sending a spike through money market expectations of an accelerated pace of rate cuts from the Fed, with investors now pricing in around 160 basis points in rate cuts through 2024 compared to yesterday’s upper limit of 154 bps.

Next week sees European Industrial Production for November, slated to print Monday, while Tuesday brings UK labor and wage earnings. UK Employment Change last came in at 50K in October, while Average Earnings is expected to fall back in both the Including & Excluding Bonuses, with Average Earnings Including Bonuses forecast to decline from 7.2% to 6.8% for the annualized quarter ended November.

Germany’s DAX climbed 0.95%, closing at €16,704.56, up by 0.95%, while France’s CAC 40 gained 1.05%, climbing 77.52 points to €7,465.14.

The pan-European STOXX600 index gained just under 4 points to climb 0.84% into €476.76, while London’s FTSEO major index rose 0.64% to close up 48.34 points at £7,624.93.

FTSE Technical Outlook

Despite a moderate gain on Friday, the FTSE 100 major London equity index is still off of recent highs, down from late December’s seven-month high of £7,763.54, slipping back into the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) near £7,572.

Near-term action sees the FTSE 100 drifting steadily lower after slumping below the 200-hour SMA near the £7,700 handle, and the index continues to grind lower in lockstep with a bearish 50-hour SMA that confirmed a bearish cross off the 200-hour SMA near £7,670.

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