* CEO sees Europe market growth of about 1 pct in 2014

* Forecast at low end of range

* Says U.S. appliances growth of 4-5 pct "reasonable"

* Q3 core profit 1.39 bln SEK vs forecast 1.33 bln SEK

* Shares rise 6.5 pct (Adds news conference, share, analyst comment)

By Niklas Pollard and Johannes Hellstrom

STOCKHOLM, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Global home appliances maker Electrolux struck a note of caution over its European business, predicting market growth at the low end of its forecast range after reporting slightly better than expected quarterly profit on Monday.

The Swedish group, vying for market leadership with U.S. rival Whirlpool and China's Haier, said it expected demand in Europe, which accounts for around a third of sales, to grow about 1 percent this year, at the bottom of its expectations for expansion of 1-3 percent.

"The market in Europe is weak. It is weaker than we would have anticipated at the beginning of the year," Chief Executive Keith McLoughlin told a news conference.

Despite the weakness in Europe, years of plant closures and cost cuts in the region have helped to boost profitability, enabling Electrolux to report a better than expected 29 percent rise in earnings, lifting its share price 6.5 percent by 0939 GMT.

Handelsbanken Capital markets said in a research note that the strong margins in Europe should drive positive revisions in 2015 estimates for the maker of household appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators and washing machines. "There is scope for raised estimates for next year," the bank said in the note.

The group posted a third-quarter operating profit of 1.39 billion Swedish crowns ($193 million), against an average forecast of 1.33 billion crowns in a Reuters poll of analysts.

The company's recent $3.3 billion acquisition of General Electric's appliances business will boost its returns from a resurgent U.S. market in which industry-wide sales of the six top categories of home appliances are up 5 percent in the year to Sept.

McLoughlin said U.S. market growth of 4-5 percent this year was a "reasonable forecast", compared with the group's previous forecast for growth of about 4 percent.

STAGNANT EUROPE

The European and North American markets each account for about a third of group sales, but sales growth in Europe has been more modest as the region's economic recovery has faltered.

Growth prospects in Europe, not least in euro zone powerhouse Germany, have soured in recent months, leaving the outlook for sales of household appliances in greater doubt.

Electrolux, which sells under brands such as AEG and Zanussi as well as its own name, said that market conditions remained difficult and pointed to the recent weakening of leading indicators and consumer confidence in Europe.