UPDATE 2-Inditex rally pushes European shares up ahead of UK election, tariff deadline

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* Opinion polls indicate tight UK election on Thursday
* Fed's policy decision due at 2000 GMT
* Inditex rallies on strong profit growth
* JD Sports tumbles as top holder cuts stake

(Updates to close)
By Susan Mathew and Medha Singh
Dec 11 (Reuters) - European shares made small moves on
Wednesday in anticipation of pivotal global events such as a
U.S.-China tariff deadline, UK general election and some central
bank meetings, but a 5.2% rally in Zara owner Inditex ensured a
higher close.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX ticked up 0.2%
reversing early gains. Spanish shares .IBEX rose 0.8% to lead
gains among regional peers as Inditex ITX.MC shares scaled a
two-year high after posting a strong profit
growth. JD Sports' JD.L 9.5% drop was the biggest on the
pan-region index. The sportswear retailer posted its worst day
in 3-1/2 years after its largest shareholder, Pentland, sold a
part of its stake.
That cancelled gains on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index
.FTSE which closed flat. An index with more domestically
focused British firms .FTMC slid 0.6%.
Britons vote on Thursday in an election that should decide
the fate of Brexit. Polls now predict only a modest majority for
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an outcome that could prolong
uncertainty and further hit investor sentiment. The benchmark European index scaled four-year peaks in the
past two months on optimism around an eventual departure for
Britain from the European Union as well as hopes of a resolution
to the U.S.-China trade war, but sentiment has lately been
dampened by conflicting headlines on both.
A Sino-U.S. trade deal remains elusive ahead of the next
round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports due on Dec. 15, but
latest reports suggest that tariffs could be postponed.
A policy decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve later in the
day is also in focus. The Fed is widely expected to keep
borrowing costs steady, signalling the start of policy
stability. On Thursday, newly appointed ECB chief Christine
Lagarde is expected to strike a similar tone.
"Equity markets should be in for a couple of days where they
see the confirmation of what they priced and therefore there
should a modest lift that comes from that," said David Page,
senior economist at AXA Investment Managers in London.
But if any one of the events delivers a surprise, it could
lead to a more negative outlook, he said.
Among other shares, German engineering company Siemens
SIEGn.DE was among the biggest boosts to the STOXX 600 after
it named its strategy chief and former Kuka CEO Horst J. Kayser
as boss of its loss-making portfolio companies.