UPDATE 2-String of weak earnings leave European stocks barely up on the week

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* Renault top loser on STOXX 600 after results
* Danone tumbles after narrowing sales growth outlook
* UK parliament to vote on new Brexit deal on Saturday

(Updates to market close)
By Sruthi Shankar
Oct 18 (Reuters) - Gloomy earnings reports from French
carmaker Renault and food group Danone drove European shares
lower on Friday, rounding off a tumultuous week that left
investors waiting anxiously for the next twist in the Brexit
saga.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX finished 0.3%
lower and Paris-listed shares .FCHI lagged the most with a
0.65% decline, hit by weak quarterly results.
Renault RENA.PA dropped 11.5% to become the biggest
decliner on the STOXX 600, after the company cut its full-year
revenue and profit forecast, the latest to suffer in an auto
market downturn. The warning pushed the wider auto and auto parts index
.SXAP to its biggest percentage drop in two-and-a-half weeks,
with added pressure from Sweden's Volvo AB VOLVb.ST
forecasting a demand slump on both sides of the North Atlantic
next year. Volvo's shares settled up 2.4% after falling as much as 5%
as investors chose to focus on its forecast-beating earnings.
The biggest drag on the main index was an 8.4% decline the
shares of Danone DANO.PA after the world's biggest yoghurt
maker cut its 2019 sales growth, dragging Europe's food &
beverage index down .SX3P down 1.4% Friday's losses pulled the STOXX 600 lower for a third
straight session to end flat on a week dominated by Brexit
headlines.
Boris Johnson struck a Brexit deal with the European Union
on Thursday, sending the benchmark index to its highest in more
than a year, but concerns remain about the deal getting through
the British parliament.
"Whatever happens at the weekend it is unlikely to be the
end of this saga," Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC
Markets, said.
"However, if MPs do hold their noses and vote for the deal,
at least we can move on to phase 2 which is negotiating the new
relationship over the next 14 month transition period."
After a solid increase in the first quarter, gains in the
STOXX 600 index have tapered off in the second and third. Fresh
data on Friday showed China's economic growth slowed more than
expected in the third quarter. Investor focus now turns to the third-quarter earnings
season, which kicks off in earnest next week. An earnings
recession in Europe is expected to deepen in the third quarter,
according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Thales TCFP.PA , the largest European defence electronics
company, dropped 5.4% after lowering its 2019 revenue growth
forecast, but a strong report from Swedish medical technology
group Getinge GETIb.ST sent its shares jumping 16%.
London Stock Exchange LSE.L rose 0.8% after reporting a
higher-than-expected third-quarter income ahead of the planned
shareholder vote on its deal to buy data provider Refinitiv.
Shares in AMS AMS.S fell nearly 5% after Bloomberg
reported the Austrian sensor maker was planning to discuss a
renewed bid for Osram OSRn.DE following the failure of its
first attempt. London-listed shares .FTSE were dragged lower by Holiday
Inn-owner InterContinental Hotels Group IHG.L , which fell 4.6%
after reporting a fall in third-quarter revenue per room.