European shares stuck below 2-yr highs as US data dashes rate optimism

By Shristi Achar A and Shubham Batra

(Reuters) -European shares were little changed on Friday as gains from upbeat corporate earnings offset hotter-than-expected U.S. jobs data that quashed hopes of an imminent rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The pan-European STOXX 600 was flat on the day, hovering near two-year highs hit earlier in the week. Germany's DAX 40 index hit a record high during the session and closed up 0.35%.

Danske Bank was the best performer on the European benchmark index, jumping 8.1% after the Danish lender reported fourth-quarter results and announced a share buyback program.

French steel tubes maker Vallourec climbed 3.1% after it said it expects 2023 results to exceed its prior outlook.

Mercedes-Benz shares were among the top performers on the DAX, up 2.0% after reporting preliminary annual free cash flow (FCF) for its industrial business above market expectations.

Technology stocks added 0.3%, tracking overnight gains in Meta Platforms and Amazon.com after they posted better-than-expected quarterly results.

Meanwhile, U.S. job growth accelerated in January and wages increased by the most in nearly two years, signs of persistent strength in the labour market that could make it difficult for the Fed to start cutting interest rates in May as currently envisaged by financial markets.

"The U.S. economy continues firing on all cylinders despite the sharpest monetary policy tightening in 40 years," said Ronald Temple, chief market strategist at Lazard.

"The combination of 353,000 new jobs in January, upward revisions to prior months' job creation, and strong average hourly earnings growth will push the Fed to wait for more good data, before cutting."

A raft of positive earnings in Europe nudged the benchmark index to its second week of gains, though latest LSEG data still estimates STOXX 600 companies' earnings decreasing by 8.5% year-on-year.

Policymakers pushing back the timing of rate cuts tempered sentiment, with money markets pricing in a cut of around 135 basis points (bps) by the European Central Bank this year, down from around 150 bps earlier this week. [0#ECBWATCH]

Electrolux shares closed 0.7% higher, reversing earlier losses triggered by the Swedish appliances maker saying it expects consumer sentiment to remain weak in early 2024.

Oil and gas shares fell 1.4%, dragged lower by a 1.5% drop for BP after the oil giant shut its biggest hydrocarbon refinery in the Midwest U.S. region.

(Reporting by Shristi Achar A and Shubham Batra in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Sohini Goswami, Kirsten Donovan)