* FTSEurofirst 300 index ends down 0.4 percent
* Weighed by talk of fresh rate rise in China
* Commodity stocks main losers
* G20 support boosts peripheral euro zone stocks
* Renewed talk of Ireland bailout caps gains
By Simon Jessop
LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - European shares ended lower on Friday after talk of an interest rate rise in China unnerved investors and sent macro-sensitive commodity stocks tumbling, while gains in the euro zone periphery helped cap losses.
The FTSEurofirst 300 closed down 0.4 percent at 1,103.99 points, off a low of 1,088.36, with shares in Ireland, Spain and Portugal supported by an overnight pledge of fiscal support from euro zone leaders. Chinese stocks had closed more than 5 percent lower, their biggest one-day slide in over a year, on speculation the central bank would raise rates again to combat inflation.
"The developing nations in Asia really did contribute to the upswing in the global economy, led by China, and now China is applying the restraint, and not just selectively as it was before," Mike Lenhoff, chief strategist at Brewin Dolphin Securities, said.
The China talk led many investors to "take some profits off the table" ahead of the weekend, with G20 leaders still meeting in South Korea, added Kishan Mandalia, trader at City Index.
Commodity stocks took the biggest hit across Europe on investor concern higher interest rates in China would hit economic growth, with front-month copper, zinc, aluminium and nickel all firmly in the red.
Leading the charge to the downside in the 2.1 percent weaker STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources index were miner Kazakhmys and steelmaker Salzgitter, both of which ended down more than 3 percent.
Similarly, crude price falls on the growth fears fuelled a 1.5 percent fall in the STOXX Europe 600 Oil & Gas index, with BG Group down 1.8 percent.
The technical outlook for regional blue-chips to the end of the year remains bullish, however, in spite of the Eurostoxx 50's 0.3 percent fall, said Philippe Delabarre, technical analyst at Paris-based Trading Central.
PERIPHERAL REBOUND
Peripheral euro zone stock markets rose for most of the day, recovering some lost ground against core Europe, after politicians reassured holders of sovereign bonds in those countries they would not be hit should a bailout be needed.
Portugal's PSI20 and Spain's IBEX 35 ended up 0.5 percent and 0.8 percent respectively, though fresh talk Ireland could tap European bailout funds took the shine off its early gains and the ISEQ ended up 0.1 percent.
The gains for the periphery come off a low base, as most indexes have lagged their core-Europe peers, said Philippe Gijsels, head of research at BNP Paribas Fortis Global Markets, in Brussels.
Elsewhere among heavyweight sectors, the STOXX Europe 600 Banks index ended up 0.4 percent, led by Irish lenders Allied Irish Banks, up 16 percent, and Bank of Ireland, up 7 percent.
Across Europe, the FTSE 100 index ended down 0.3 percent, Germany's DAX was up 0.1 percent and France's CAC 40 was down 0.9 percent.
(Reporting by Simon Jessop; editing by David Hulmes)