U.S. big bank earnings due later
German wholesale price index up 2 yy in March
EQT in talks for a possible offer for Dechra

April 14 Reuters European shares rose on Friday and were set for a fourth straight weekly gain, buoyed by hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve could soon pause its aggressive interest ratehike cycle following coolerthanexpected inflation in March.

The panEuropean STOXX 600 gained 0.4, while rising 1.4 for the week in the index39;s longest winning streak since late last year after Singapore39;s central bank kept its key rates unchanged, signalling that the Fed39;s next hike could be the last this cycle.

Real estate shares led the gains, rising 1.6, while insurancesector shares slid 0.9.

The bluechip STOXX 50 index held on to its 22year highs hit on Wednesday, adding 0.4.

No news has been good news for the markets since after the investors were comforted that banking sector crisis has been controlled and will not see any spillovers, said Michael Field, European equity strategist, Morningstar.

That is one of the reasons why we see European equities gain in last one month.

Investors will closely monitor U.S. earnings starting later in the day with focus on big banks including JP Morgan Chase Co, Wells Fargo and Citigroup, as last month39;s regional banking crisis and a slowing economy cast a shadow over the banking sector.

Germany39;s wholesale prices rose in March at a slower pace than last month on the year, but rose 0.2, compared with…