European equity markets traded higher on Friday, with the STOXX 50 gaining 0.8% and the broader STOXX 600 advancing 0.5%. Investors assessed fresh economic data and awaited Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s speech at the annual Jackson Hole symposium for signals on the outlook for US interest rates. Harmonized inflation data from France and Spain pointed to renewed acceleration in price pressures, with rates reaching fresh multi-year highs. The figures strengthened expectations that European Central Bank policymakers could resume raising interest rates at their September meeting. Corporate news was relatively quiet, although Austrian construction company Strabag jumped nearly 9% after upgrading its full-year guidance following strong first-half results, while Germany’s Bertelsmann rose 0.2% after raising its outlook for 2026. An earlier topic record cited Spain’s August HICP rising 0.6% month-on-month, below an expected 0.8%, and described possible moderation in monthly price growth; the latest market assessment instead emphasized renewed acceleration in harmonized inflation and higher multi-year readings, without providing revised monthly figures.