STOXX 600 scales oneweek high
Financials, energy boost the index
UK economy shrinks more than expected in Q3
Jyske Bank, Rheinmetall at the top of STOXX 600

Dec 22 Reuters European shares rose for a second straight session on Thursday, boosted by financial and energy stocks, as investors cheered improving consumer sentiment in the United States after inflation expectations eased.

The regionwide STOXX 600 index was up 0.4 at a oneweek high, taking cues from an upbeat session on Wall Street overnight.

The U.S. main stock indexes logged their biggest daily gains so far this month on Wednesday, helped by a reading which showed domestic consumer confidence rose to an eightmonth high in December as inflation retreated and the labour market remained strong.

European shares also posted strong gains in the previous session, as improving consumer sentiment in the eurozone eased some fears about an economic downturn which had been heightened by hawkish messages by major central banks last week.

What we39;re seeing is a recovery in risk appetite after a fairly negative set of central bank meetings for equities, said Adam Hoyes, markets economist at Capital Economics.

There39;s probably a little bit of spillover from the consumer confidence data from the U.S. and it looked to be sort of broadly similar in the eurozone as well.

Markets are seeing an uplift as the festive mood kicks in ahead of the end of an year which has seen equities take a massive hit due to fears of a…