European stocks advanced to their highest level since May as mining companies rallied after a report showed Chinese industrial production increased at a faster-than-expected pace.

In China, a report from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that industrial output rose 9.7 percent in July from a year earlier, more than the 8.9 percent median forecast. The world’s second-largest economy grew at an annualized pace of 7.5 percent in the three months through June, the fifth consecutive quarter that gross domestic product has grown by less than 8 percent.

National benchmark indexes advanced in all 18 western-European markets today. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.3 percent and Germany’s DAX gained 0.2 percent. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 increased 0.8 percent.

Fresnillo Plc and Randgold Resources Ltd., which both mine precious metals, rose 8.2 percent to 1,035 pence and 6.8 percent to 4,722 pence, respectively. Lonmin Plc jumped 7.7 percent to 350.5 pence. The Stoxx 600 Basic Resource Index added 4.6 percent, the best performance of the 19 industry groups in the European equity benchmark.

KPN surged 16 percent to 2.32 euros as America Movil offered 2.40 euros a share for the company. The price -- a 20 percent premium to KPN’s close yesterday -- would value the stake that America Movil doesn’t already own at 7.2 billion euros ($9.6 billion). The Mexican mobile-phone operator has a 29.8 percent holding in KPN. An agreement between the two companies to limit America Movil’s stake to 30 percent expired after KPN agreed last month to sell its German business E-Plus to Telefonica SA.

Telekom Austria AG, which is also partly owned by America Movil, soared 8.7 percent to 5.73 euros.

Stockmann Oyj rallied 6 percent to 12.01 euros as second-quarter net income of 19.5 million euros exceeded the average analyst projection of 15.4 million euros. The owner of department stores in Finland and Russia also reiterated its guidance for the year.

Rheinmetall AG advanced 4.5 percent to 37.54 euros as the German maker of armored vehicles said its defense business won 66 percent of its orders from non-European countries in the first half of 2013. The unit obtained 46 percent of orders from outside Europe in the year-earlier period.

U.S. stock futures fell slightly. If that trend continues through the session, the major indexes will close with a loss for the week.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei  13,615.19 +9.63 +0.07%

Hang Seng 21,807.56 +151.68 +0.70%

Shanghai Composite 2,052.23 +7.34 +0.36%

FTSE 6,560.31 +30.63 +0.47%

CAC 4,070.17 +5.85 +0.14%

DAX 8,330.14 +11.82 +0.14%

Crude oil $103.83 +0.42%

Gold $1308.40 -0.11%

European stocks pared their advance as real-estate companies fell, offsetting gains by mining companies after Chinese industrial production beat estimates. U.S. stock futures and Asian shares were little changed.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.1 percent to 304.34 at 8:40 a.m. in London, paring a gain of as much as 0.3 percent. The gauge has climbed 0.1 percent this week. The equity benchmark has rallied 10 percent from a low on June 24 as the European Central Bank and the Bank of England said interest rates will remain low for an extended period of time.

“With no major economic data or company reports due in Europe and the U.S., investors are focusing on the positive news coming out of China,” said Alessandro Fezzi, senior market analyst at LGT Bank Schweiz AG in Zurich. “Inflation, for example, is overall a positive for stocks as the inflation rate remains clearly below the government’s target and this gives the central bank some room for potential economic stimulus, which has some market participants excited.”

The Stoxx 600 climbed yesterday as faster-than-expected Chinese exports outweighed concern that the Federal Reserve will reduce its bond purchases this year.

In China, the consumer-price index rose 2.7 percent in July from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said today in Beijing. That remained below the government’s inflation target for 2013 of 3.5 percent. The median economist estimate survey had called for CPI to climb 2.8 percent.

A separate release showed that industrial output rose 9.7 percent last month from a year earlier, more than the 8.9 percent median forecast

KPN surged 17 percent to 2.34 euros as America Movil offered 2.40 euros per share for the company. The price -- a 20 percent premium to KPN’s close yesterday -- would value the stake America Movil doesn’t already own at 7.2 billion euros ($9.6 billion). America Movil has a 29.8 percent holding in KPN.

Stockmann rallied 5.3 percent to 11.93 euros, its biggest gain in more than a year, as second-quarter net income of 19.5 million euros exceeded the average analyst projection of 15.4 million euros. The company also kept it guidance for the year.

FTSE 100 6,542.55 +12.87 +0.20%    

CAC 40 4,057.95 -6.37 -0.16%

DAX 8,297.96 -20.36 -0.24%     

Asia’s benchmark stock index is on course to snap its longest weekly winning streak since January as a cut in Nikon Corp. profit forecast overshadowed a larger-than-forecast increase in China’s industrial output.

Nikkei 225 13,615.19 +9.63 +0.07%

Hang Seng 21,808.34 +152.46 +0.70%

S&P/ASX 200 5,055.21 -9.59 -0.19%

Shanghai Composite 2,052.23 +7.34 +0.36%

Nikon, a Japanese camera maker, slumped 14 percent, dragging consumer shares lower.

BHP Billiton Ltd. , the world’s largest mining company, climbed 1.8 percent in Sydney, leading raw-materials firms to the largest advance among the 10 industry groups of the Asia-Pacific benchmark gauge.

DeNA Co., a mobile-game site operator, surged 11 percent in Tokyo after posting a 9.6 percent increase in first-quarter sales.

Nikkei 225 13,605.56 -219,38 -1,59%

Hang Seng 21,644.96 56,12 0,26%

S & P / ASX 200 5,064.8 53,50 1,07%

Shanghai Composite -1,88 -0,09 2,044.9%

FTSE 100 6,529.68 +18.47 +0.28%

CAC 40 4,064.32 +25.83 +0.64%

DAX 8,318.32 +57.84 +0.70%

DJIA 15,498.30 27.65 0.18%

S&P 500 1,697.48 6.57 0.39%

NASDAQ 3,669.12 15.12 0.41%