Warsh Speech in Focus as European Stocks Climb

European stocks rose slightly on Friday, with French shares recovering from the previous day's losses. The pan-European STOXX 600 index climbed 0.5% to 655.33 points at 0708 GMT.

The gains came after a two-week decline in the benchmark index. France's CAC 40 led the region, rising 1.1% after falling to a one-month low the day before.

Lenders Societe Generale and BNP Paribas increased by 0.8% and 1.4%, respectively, while Credit Agricole rose between those two rates. EssilorLuxottica gained 3% as it announced a share buyback plan, and luxury stocks rose 2.3%.

However, the French GDP growth was revised down to flat in the second quarter from an initial 0.2% expansion. This suggests weaker-than-expected momentum in France's economy, which is the second-largest in the euro zone.