UPDATE 1-LVMH boosts European shares to one-week high; trade optimism lingers

French luxury goods group LVMH's deal to buy U.S. jewellery firm Tiffany boosted European shares to a one-week high on Monday, while optimism that Washington and Beijing would be able settle their trade spat also lifted investor sentiment.

Shares of LVMH rose 1.8%, putting them on track for their best day in three weeks, as the French firm said it would buy Tiffany & Co for $16.2 billion. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.7%. All the major European subsectors were trading higher, led by trade-sensitive miners, which hit a two-week high after a report that China and the United States were "very close" to an initial trade agreement.

That added to optimism from Friday, when the presidents of both the countries reiterated their desire for a trade deal, helping the benchmark European index log its best day in three weeks. "A 'phase one' deal is now priced into markets; there isn't much upside that will come from that unless they announce something like a complete rollback of the tariffs imposed (but) that doesn't really seem likely," said Simona Gambarini, markets economist at Capital Economics.

Headlines surrounding the prolonged trade spat have dictated stock market moves this year, with the STOXX 600 index inching towards a record high on hopes the two sides would resolve their dispute, which has so far dulled sentiment and dented global growth. A reading of the German IFO business climate index rose slightly in November from the previous month, but indicated that manufacturing in Europe's powerhouse was still stuck in a recession.

The numbers follow underwhelming PMI data on Friday, which showed business growth in the eurozone almost ground to a halt in November. Investors have also looked to major central banks for clues on further monetary policy. ECB Chief Christine Lagarde said on Friday the central bank would continue to do its part to support the economy, but called on governments to strengthen domestic demand.

All eyes will now be on a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later on Monday. UniCredit rose 2%, fuelling a near 1% gain for Milan's bank-heavy FTSE MIB index, after Italy's biggest lender confirmed it was in talks with Koc Holding over their joint venture in Turkey.

Also helping the FTSE MIB was a 5% jump for Prysmian after the cable maker's troubled Western Link high voltage connection was taken over by clients, reducing further near-term risk for the company. (Additional reporting by Agamoni Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)