European stocks rose, extending a third consecutive monthly advance, as Rio Tinto Group and Boliden AB led mining companies higher and banks advanced.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.4 percent to 325.24 at 4:33 p.m. in London. The gauge has added 0.9 percent in November, heading for the ninth monthly advance of the year.

A European Commission report showed a gauge of economic confidence climbed for a seventh month to 98.5, exceeding the median economist forecast of 98. A separate report today confirmed that consumer confidence in the 17-nation euro area declined in November.

National benchmark indexes rose in 15 of the 18 western-European markets. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 increased 0. percent and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.3 percent. Germany’s DAX added 0.4 percent, extending a record.

Rio added 4.1 percent to 3,267.5 pence. The world’s second-biggest miner plans to increase annual iron-ore production capacity in Western Australia to 360 million metric tons by 2017, up from 290 million tons by the end of June next year, London-based Rio said in a statement.

Boliden, a Swedish copper and zinc producer, rose 5 percent to 95.20 kronor. Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the shares to overweight, similar to a buy recommendation, from equalweight, estimating that mining growth and increasing prices for copper refining will drive the shares higher.

Rio and Boliden’s jumps helped send the Stoxx 600 Basic Resource Index up 2.2 percent today for the biggest gain among 19 industry groups on the broader gauge.

Thomas Cook surged 15 percent to 176.7 pence. Earnings before interest and taxes rose to 263 million pounds ($430 million) in the year ended Sept. 30 from last year’s 177 million pounds, according to a statement today.

A gauge of European banks listed on the Stoxx 600 rose 0.9 percent, the second-largest advance among 19 industry groups. Banco Comercial Portugues SA added 4.7 percent to 12.7 euro cents. Barclays Plc increased 1.2 percent to 265.7 pence, and Commerzbank AG advanced 2.2 percent to 10.77 euros.

Kingfisher Plc declined 4.4 percent to 378.6 pence after Chief Executive Officer Ian Cheshire said consumer confidence in France “is still weak with no obvious signs of an imminent improvement.” Europe’s largest home-improvement retailer also reported same-store sales growth of 0.4 percent for its B&Q chain in the U.K. and Ireland, missing analysts’ estimates. France and the U.K. together accounted for about 81 percent of sales, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

West Texas Intermediate traded near the lowest price in almost six months and at the steepest discount to Brent since March, as crude stockpiles rose for a 10th week in the U.S., the world’s biggest oil consumer.

Futures were little changed in New York after declining 1.5 percent yesterday, the most in two weeks. Crude inventories climbed by 2.95 million barrels to 391.4 million, the highest level since June, Energy Information Administration data show. Supplies were forecast to increase by 750,000 barrels, according to a Bloomberg News survey. Oil’s moving averages have formed a “death cross,” a bearish technical signal.

WTI for January delivery was at $92.25 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down 5 cents, as of 2:34 p.m. London time. The contract slid $1.38 to $92.30 yesterday, the lowest close since May 31. The volume of all futures traded was 88 percent below the 100-day average. Prices have dropped 4.3 percent in November. Floor trading is closed today because of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

Brent for January settlement slipped 8 cents to $111.23 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices are up 2.2 percent this month. The contract was at a premium of $18.97 to WTI, compared with $19.01 yesterday, the widest spread in more than eight months based on closing prices.

Gold prices rose after three days of decline due to demand in China, but the decline in the number of applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. holding back growth.

The number of initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell for the sixth time in seven weeks , signaled the continued strength of the labor market . Investors watch for those in search of employment guidance regarding future monetary policy of the USA , as the Fed's stimulus program has long supported gold prices . Investors fear that the good economic statistics give the Fed reason to start reducing incentives.

Stocks of the world's largest exchange-traded fund backed by gold (ETF) SPDR Gold Trust on Wednesday declined by 5.7 tonnes to 843.21 tonnes - the lowest level since early 2009. YTD fund holdings declined by more than 450 tons , as investors increased investments in the stock markets. YTD Gold fell more than 25 percent.

Demand for gold in China, which this year is expected to become the world's largest gold market instead of India , rose this week due to lower prices. On Thursday, gold trading volume of 99.99 percent of the sample on the Shanghai Gold Exchange rose to the highest since October 8 level of 18.3 tons.

In October, China has increased gold imports from Hong Kong to near record levels , buying more than 100 tons of the sixth month in a row against the backdrop of an unprecedented high demand.

The cost of the December gold futures on the COMEX today rose to $ 1244.80 per ounce.

USD/JPY Y101.00, Y101.50, Y102.00

EUR/USD $1.3450, $1.3500, $1.3525, $1.3550, $1.3570, $1.3600, $1.3700, $1.3710

06:45 Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (QoQ) Quarter III +0.5% +0.5% +0.5%

06:45 Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (YoY) Quarter III +2.5% +1.8% +1.9%

08:55 Germany Unemployment Change November 2 0 10

08:55 Germany Unemployment Rate s.a. November 6.9% 6.9% 6.9%

09:00 Eurozone M3 money supply, adjusted y/y October +2.1% +1.8% +1.4%

10:30 United Kingdom BOE Gov Mark Carney Speaks

10:30 United Kingdom BOE Financial Stability Report November

13:00 Germany CPI, m/m (Preliminary) November -0.2% +0.1% +0.2%

13:00 Germany CPI, y/y (Preliminary) November +1.2% +1.2% +1.3%

The euro rose against the dollar after data indicated the acceleration of inflation in Spain and Germany.

Preliminary data showed that the inflation rate in Spain rose slightly in November after October remained unchanged. This suggests that the data that will be published on Friday, may indicate that the inflation rate in the euro area as a whole in November accelerated after anemic dynamics in October.

Data on the consumer price index in Germany showed a similar trend. In November a preliminary CPI German CPI rose by 1.3 % y / y and 0.2 % m / m , exceeding the forecast of 1.2% and 0.1 %, respectively

Inflation data are more important for investors after the October report prompted the European Central Bank to lower the benchmark interest rate .

The euro kept data on the labor market in Germany. The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed in November rose by 10,000 people. Nevertheless , despite such a sudden and sharp increase in the unemployment rate ( seasonally adjusted ) remained at the same level - 6.9% , which is close to record lows . Many economists predicted that the number of unemployed remains unchanged in November , after rising by 3 thousand people in October.

It should be noted that labor market prospects also clouded the prospect of a new German government to introduce a national minimum wage and to tighten rules on the labor market . Many economists warn that it could lead to a loss of jobs , particularly among small businesses .

Meanwhile, data showed that compared to November last year, the number of unemployed increased by 55,000 people .

The British pound rose against the dollar after the publication of the Bank of England report on financial stability. The Bank of England announced its intention to curtail the incentive program in the field of mortgage lending due to the fact that the UK property market is gaining momentum of growth. Instead chose to focus on the CB scheme to support small businesses .

The U.S. dollar reached its highest level in six months against the yen , as the prospects of monetary policy of the USA and Japan are slightly different , and the positive dynamics of the global stock markets hurts safe-haven currencies such as the yen .

EUR / USD: during the European session, the pair rose to $ 1.3618

GBP / USD: during the European session, the pair rose to $ 1.6352

USD / JPY: during the European session, the pair rose to Y102.37

At 13:30 GMT , Canada will report on the current account balance of the balance of payments for the 3rd quarter , and will release the index of commodity prices in October. At 21:45 GMT New Zealand announce the change in the volume of building permits issued in October. At 23:30 GMT , Japan will release data on changes in the volume of expenditure of households , the consumer price index , and the volume of industrial production in October.

EUR/USD

Offers $1.3750, $1.3690/700, $1.3660/65, $1.3650, $1.3620/30

Bids $1.3570, $1.3564, $1.3525/15, $1.3490/80, $1.3463

GBP/USD

Offers $1.6410, $1.6400, $1.6376, $1.6350

Bids $1.6277, $1.6260/55, $1.6240, $1.6220, $1.6198

AUD/USD

Offers $0.9300, $0.9240/50, $0.9200, $0.9180, $0.9150

Bids $0.9100, $0.9050, $0.9038, $0.9000

EUR/JPY

Offers Y140.50, Y140.00, Y139.50, Y139.22

Bids Y138.65/60, Y138.20, Y138.00, Y137.80, Y137.50

USD/JPY

Offers Y103.00, Y102.80, Y102.50

Bids Y101.75/70, Y101.50, Y101.00, Y100.80

EUR/GBP

Offers stg0.8430, stg0.8415/20, stg0.8395/400, stg0.8387, stg0.8352

Bids stg0.8318, stg0.8300, stg0.8285, stg0.8258

European stocks rose, extending a third consecutive monthly advance, as mining companies and banks led gains. U.S. index futures and Asian shares also increased.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.4 percent to 325.26 at 10:47 a.m. in London. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures rose 0.3 percent after the equity gauge closed at a record yesterday.  The Stoxx 600 has added 0.9 percent in November, heading for the ninth monthly advance of the year.

A European Commission report showed a gauge of economic confidence climbed for a seventh month to 98.5, exceeding the median economist forecast of 98. A separate report today confirmed that consumer confidence in the 17-nation euro area declined in November.

Rio, the world’s second-biggest miner, added 2.9 percent to 3,229.5 pence after saying it will cost less than estimated to increase iron-ore output capacity to 360 million metric tons. Annual production capacity will rise by more than 60 million tons between 2014 and 2017 from 290 million tons by the end of June, London-based Rio said in a statement.

Boliden, a Swedish copper and zinc producer, rose 3.1 percent to 93.45 kronor. Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the shares to overweight, similar to a buy recommendation, from equalweight, estimating that mining growth and increasing prices for copper refining will drive the shares higher.

Rio and Boliden’s jumps helped send the Stoxx 600 Basic Resource Index up 1.5 percent today for the biggest gain among 19 industry groups.

Thomas Cook surged 13 percent to 173.8 pence. Earnings before interest and taxes rose to 263 million pounds ($429 million) in the year ended Sept. 30 from last year’s 177 million pounds, according to a statement today.

FTSE 100 6,654.93 +5.46 +0.08%

CAC 40 4,303.18 +10.12 +0.24%

DAX 9,351.13 +61.06 +0.66%

00:00 Australia HIA New Home Sales, m/m October +6.4% -3.8%

00:00 New Zealand ANZ Business Confidence November 53.2 60.5

00:30 Australia Private Capital Expenditure Quarter III +4.0% -1.1% +3.6%

The U.S. Dollar Index was near a two-week high before data next week forecast to show U.S. manufacturing expanded for a sixth month.  The Institute for Supply Management’s index of manufacturing probably slid to 55 this month from 56.4 in October, the highest since April 2011, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before the data are released on Dec. 2.

The Labor Department reported yesterday jobless claims in the week ended Nov. 23 declined 10,000 to 316,000, fewer than the 330,000 median estimate of economists in a Bloomberg poll. The Conference Board’s index of U.S. leading indicators rose for a fourth straight month in October.

The Australian dollar rallied from a two-month low after business investment unexpectedly grew. In Australia, private capital spending jumped 3.6 percent in the third quarter from the previous period, when it rose a revised 1.6 percent. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 1.2 percent decline.

EUR / USD: during the Asian session, the pair rose to $ 1.3585

GBP / USD: during the Asian session, the pair rose to $ 1.6325

USD / JPY: during the Asian session, the pair fell to Y101.95

There is no UK data scheduled for release Thursday, but at 1030GMT, the BOE's FPC will release their latest Financial Stability Report.

GOLD 1,237.80 -3.60 -0.29%

OIL (WTI) 92.33 -1.35 -1.44%

Nikkei 225 15,449.63 -65.61 -0.42%

Hang Seng 23,806.35 +125.07 +0.53%

S&P/ASX 200 5,332.87 -24.14 -0.45%

Shanghai Composite 2,201.07 +18.00 +0.82%

FTSE 100 6,649.11 +12.89 +0.19%

CAC 40 4,296.55 +18.98 +0.44%

DAX 9,351.56 +61.49 +0.66%

Dow 16,097.33 +24.53 +0.15%

Nasdaq 4,044.75 +27.00 +0.67%

S&P 500 1,807.23 +4.48 +0.25%

(pare/closed(00:00 GMT +02:00)/change, %)

EUR/USD $1,3578 +0,05%

GBP/USD $1,6286 +0,45%

USD/CHF Chf0,9074 +0,11%

USD/JPY Y102,14 +0,85%

EUR/JPY Y138,70 +0,91%

GBP/JPY Y166,34 +1,29%

AUD/USD $0,9077 -0,53%

NZD/USD $0,8148 -0,55%

USD/CAD C$1,0593 +0,50%

00:00 Australia HIA New Home Sales, m/m October +6.4%

00:00 New Zealand ANZ Business Confidence November 53.2

00:30 Australia Private Capital Expenditure Quarter III +4.0% -1.1%

06:45 Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (QoQ) Quarter III +0.5% +0.5%

06:45 Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (YoY) Quarter III +2.5% +1.8%

08:55 Germany Unemployment Change November 2 0

08:55 Germany Unemployment Rate s.a. November 6.9% 6.9%

09:00 Eurozone M3 money supply, adjusted y/y October +2.1% +1.8%

10:30 United Kingdom BOE Gov Mark Carney Speaks

10:30 United Kingdom BOE Financial Stability Report November

13:00 Germany CPI, m/m (Preliminary) November -0.2% +0.1%

13:00 Germany CPI, y/y (Preliminary) November +1.2% +1.2%

13:30 Canada Industrial Product Prices, m/m October -0.3% -0.3%

13:30 Canada Current Account, bln Quarter III -14.6 -14.3

13:30 Canada Raw Material Price Index October -1.5% -2.1%

13:30 U.S. Bank holiday

21:45 New Zealand Building Permits, m/m October +1.4% +1.7%

23:15 Japan Manufacturing PMI November 54.2

23:30 Japan Household spending Y/Y October +3.7% +1.2%

23:30 Japan Tokyo Consumer Price Index, y/y November +0.6% +0.7%

23:30 Japan Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food, y/y November +0.3% +0.4%

23:30 Japan National Consumer Price Index, y/y October +1.1% +1.1%

23:30 Japan National CPI Ex-Fresh Food, y/y October +0.7% +0.9%

23:30 Japan Unemployment Rate October 4.0% 3.9%

23:50 Japan Industrial Production (MoM) (Preliminary) October +1.3% +2.1%

23:50 Japan Industrial Production (YoY) (Preliminary) October +5.1% +6.3%