By Avinash P
March 20 (Reuters) - Europe's STOXX 600 gave up opening gains to trade flat on Friday, and was set for a third consecutive weekly loss, as an expanding Middle East conflict and a surge in oil prices reinforced inflation fears.
The pan-European STOXX 600 was flat at 583.70 by 1000 GMT, poised to log a 2% weekly decline and its longest losing streak since April. The heavyweight financial sector provided the biggest boost, up 0.5%, while the energy sector declined 1.1% - the biggest drag
on the index, as crude prices pulled back. [O/R]
The benchmark was hovering near three-month lows and has lost more than 7% since its late February record high, hit a day before the Iran war started.
Israel launched fresh attacks on Iran a day after President Donald Trump told the country not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure.
Europe's heavy reliance on Middle Eastern oil has left it exposed to rising crude prices as the Straight of Hormuz, which carries a fifth of global oil supplies, remains largely cut off. Attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf have pushed oil prices higher and threatened a rise in inflation above the ECB's 2% target rate.
"A potential conflict lasting and higher interest rates, the big question mark is, what it could affect," said Gilles Guibout, head of European equity, AXA IM Core at BNP Paribas Asset Management.
"What is not clear for now is about the magnitude of this impact."
The week was flooded with central bank meetings from Sydney to London to Washington, with all policymakers sounding a similar alarm - how much would the Iran war push up inflation and slow growth.
The European Central Bank kept the policy rate unchanged on Thursday, but policymakers expect to discuss hikes in the coming months.
Traders are currently pricing in two 25 basis-point rate hikes by year-end, according to LSEG data - a far cry from the prior expectations of unchanged rates throughout the year before the start of the conflict.
Travel and leisure, which were among the hardest hit sectors in the recent sell-off, climbed 0.8% on the day.
Among individual stocks, Unilever shares added 1.3% after the consumer goods group confirmed it was in talks with U.S.-based McCormick & Company about selling its foods business.
Infineon shares jumped 3.9% after J.P. Morgan raised the German chips manufacturer's rating to "overweight" from "neutral".
On the flip side, Smiths Group dipped 7.1% after the engineering firm missed half-year organic revenue growth estimates.
(Reporting by Avinash P and Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Devika Syamnath)
