* Graphic: 2020 asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
By Ritvik Carvalho
LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - European shares recovered from their lowest levels in a month on Friday, as investors looked past a severe economic contraction in the euro zone and on to company earnings, while the euro reached its highest in more than two years, set for its best month in a decade.
The euro zone's economy recorded its deepest contraction on record in the second quarter, preliminary estimates showed, but inflation unexpectedly ticked up in July.
Gross domestic product in the bloc shrank by 12.1% from the previous quarter, the European Union's statistics office, Eurostat, said in its flash estimates. The decline coincided with coronavirus lockdowns, which in many euro zone countries began to ease only in May. pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX rose 0.6%, though it was on course to end the month flat or lower. Technology shares .SX8P led the rally, rising over 2% after Wall Street's tech giants, Apple AAPL.O , Amazon AMZN.O and Facebook FB.O , reported forecast-beating results overnight. .EU
MSCI's All Country World Index, which tracks shares across 49 countries, was down 0.04% on the day. .MIWD00000PUS
"Germany's (-10.1%) and France's ( -13.8%) numbers have already shaped expectations around the magnitude of the 2Q slump in the aggregated eurozone economy," ING strategists said in a note to clients.
"Markets will therefore focus on assessing the slowdown in the Italian and Spanish economies, which were among the first and worst-hit countries in the pandemic."
They added the euro could hit $1.20 within the next few days. The single currency passed $1.19 on Friday, though it fell back below the handle by midday in London. EUR=EBS
The dollar was set for its worst month in a decade against a basket of currencies, as abysmal economic data for the second quarter and rising global COVID-19 cases darkened the mood. The dollar index =USD gained 0.2% on Friday to 93.011 .DXY FRX/
Expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy for years have contributed to a depressed dollar. gross domestic product plunged 32.9% in the second quarter, the biggest decline on record. Jobless claims rose last week, another sign the economic recovery has slowed. figures overshadowed positive manufacturing data from China and Japan. China's official Purchasing Manager's Index data showed that factory activity grew in July for a fifth straight month and at a faster pace, defying expectations of a slowdown. Japan's industrial output snapped four months of declines in June. in Asia, shares turned lower on Friday amid the economic data from the United States and rising global COVID-19 cases. After rising in early trade, MSCI's broadest index of Asian shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS turned lower. It was last down 0.3%.
Australian shares .AXJO were down 2.04% and Seoul's Kospi .KS11 ticked 0.64% lower. Japan's Nikkei .N225 dropped 2.82% as a stronger yen weighed on exporters. blue chips .CSI300 were last up 0.35% in a session that swung repeatedly between gains and losses.
Futures continued to point to a higher open on Wall Street on Friday. Apple AAPL.O , Amazon AMZN.O , Facebook FB.O and Alphabet GOOGL.O reported quarterly earnings on the same day for the first time ever, all topping Wall Street estimates. of them punched the lights out with respect to their earnings numbers," said National Australia Bank strategist Ray Attrill.
E-mini futures for the S&P 500 ESc1 rose 0.2% and Nasdaq futures NQcv1 gained over 1%.
U.S. stock markets, oil prices and the dollar slid on Thursday as the data underscored the economic impact of the coronavirus and U.S. President Donald Trump raised the possibility of delaying the November election.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 0.85%, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.38% and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 0.43%.
Crude oil recovered from an overnight slump, with global benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 rising 0.7% to 43.25 a barrel. U.S. light crude added 0.5% to $40.21 per barrel. CLc1
Gold also turned higher, with spot gold XAU= trading 0.64% higher at $1,972.19 per ounce, just short of record highs. GOL/
U.S. benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR yielded 0.5363%. The two-year yield US2YT=RR touched 0.1152% compared with a U.S. close of 0.121%.
Italian 10-year bond yields were set for their biggest monthly drop since January on Friday, boosted by the recovery fund agreed by the European Union last week. GVD/EUR
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