Most European stocks advanced as German business confidence rose to the highest level since April 2012 and investors weighed comments by European Central Bank officials.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.1 percent to 322.73 at 4:30 p.m. in London as almost three shares in the gauge increased for every two that fell. The benchmark lost less than 0.1 percent this week as Federal Reserve minutes signaled policy makers may reduce $85 billion of bond purchases sooner than investors predicted.

The Ifo institute’s German business climate index, based on a survey of 7,000 executives, increased to 109.3 this month from 107.4 in October. That beat economists’ forecast for a gain to 107.7, according to survey.

Euro-area finance ministers are meeting in Brussels today. The ministers will examine national budgets a week after the European Commission raised doubts about the credibility of Italy’s and Spain’s spending plans, warning they don’t go far enough to narrow deficits or reduce debt. The meeting is part of tougher budget-oversight rules introduced last year.

ECB governing council member Peter Praet said at a conference in Paris that Europe has a debt overhang problem that needs to be addressed “forcefully.” Policy makers have already lost time in tackling it, he said. His colleague in the council and Bank of Austria governor, Ewald Otto Nowotny, said the regional economy has too little demand and fixing the banking system alone isn’t enough to end the crisis.

National benchmarks rose in 13 of the 18 western European markets.

FTSE 100 6,674.3 -7.03 -0.11% CAC 40 4,278.53 +24.63 +0.58% DAX 9,219.04 +22.96 +0.25%

Daily Mail climbed 3.3 percent to 890.5 pence, its highest price since January 2001. Barclays upgraded the stock to equal weight from underweight. The brokerage said it sees no factors that could drive down the stock price in the next 12 months.

Whitbread climbed 2.9 percent to 3,481 pence. JPMorgan Chase raised its recommendation on the owner of Premier Inn budget hotels to overweight from neutral. The brokerage cited the economic rebound in the U.K.

Rhoen-Klinikum fell 3.2 percent to 20.47 euros. B. Braun Melsungen AG, which holds a 10.98 percent stake in the company, asked the court to void the sale of clinics or rule it needs 90 percent shareholder support, Rhoen-Klinikum said in a statement.

TUI Travel Plc tumbled 7.6 percent to 359.8 pence as Norwegian billionaire John Fredriksen sold his entire stake in the company and bought more stock in parent company TUI AG.

Suedzucker AG, which makes sugar, starch and bakery additives, retreated 7.9 percent to 19.15 euros after the shares were downgraded to reduce from buy by Commerzbank AG.

U.S. stock-index futures little changed, after the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) closed above 16,000 for the first time yesterday on data that showed improvement in the job market and consumer sentiment.

Global markets:

Nikkei 15,381.72 +16.12 +0.10%

Hang Seng 23,696.28 +115.99 +0.49%

Shanghai Composite 2,196.38 -9.39 -0.43%

FTSE 6,677.24 -4.09 -0.06 %

CAC 4,277.68 +23.78 +0.56 %

DAX 9,211.66 +15.58 +0.17 %

Crude oil: $94.97 (-0.49%).

Gold: $1245.20 (+0.13%).

European stocks were little changed as investors weighed German data that showed business confidence in Europe’s largest economy increased to the highest level since April 2012. U.S. index futures and Asian shares were also little changed.

In Germany, the Ifo institute’s business climate index, based on a survey of 7,000 executives, increased to 109.3 this month from 107.4 in October. That beat economists’ forecast for a gain to 107.7, according to a Bloomberg News survey.

Separate data confirmed a preliminary estimate that showed German economic growth slowed to 0.3 percent in the third quarter, from 0.7 percent in the previous three months. The expansion was driven by domestic demand that offset weaker exports, the report showed.

Novartis gained 1.5 percent to 73.45 Swiss francs. Europe’s biggest drugmaker said it will start a $5-billion share buyback immediately. Novartis also said it will develop new business segments in dermatology, heart failure, respiratory illnesses and cell therapy.

Solarworld advanced 6.1 percent 81.2 euro cents. Germany’s biggest maker of solar panels has agreed on most points with Bosch Solar on a takeover of the company, according to a Wall Street Journal Deutschland report, which cited two unnamed sources close to the talks.

Rhoen-Klinikum fell 2.9 percent to 20.54 euros. B. Braun Melsungen AG, which holds a 10.98 percent stake in the company, asked the court to void the sale of clinics or rule it needs 90 percent shareholder support, Rhoen-Klinikum said in a statement. In September, Helios agreed to pay Rhoen-Klinikum 3.07 billion euros ($4.1 billion) for the German clinics, a deal that would create Europe’s largest chain of private hospitals.

FTSE 100 6,666.94 -14.39 -0.22%

CAC 40 4,259.66 +5.76 +0.14%

DAX 9,182.36 -13.72 -0.15%

Most Asian stocks rose, snapping a three-day loss on the regional benchmark index, as a gauge of mainland Chinese shares traded in Hong Kong headed for its biggest weekly advance in two years.

Nikkei 225 15,381.72 +16.12 +0.10%

Hang Seng 23,696.28 +115.99 +0.49%

S&P/ASX 200 5,335.91 +47.59 +0.90%

Shanghai Composite 2,196.38 -9.39 -0.43%

Glorious Property Holdings Ltd. soared by a record 33 percent in Hong Kong after Chinese billionaire Zhang Zhirong offered as much as HK$4.57 billion ($589 million) to take the real-estate developer private.

SoftBank Corp. closed at a 13-year high after a person familiar with the matter said Daniel Loeb’s Third Point LLC hedge fund has taken a stake of more than $1 billion in the Japanese wireless carrier.

Toyota Motor Corp., Asia’s largest carmaker, advanced 1 percent in Tokyo.

Nikkei 225 15,365.6 +289.52 +1.92%

Hang Seng 23,580.29 -120.57 -0.51%

S&P/ASX 200 5,288.32 -19.35 -0.36%

Shanghai Composite 2,205.77 -0.85 -0.04%

FTSE 100 6,681.33 +0.25 0.00%

CAC 40 4,253.9 -14.47 -0.34%

DAX 9,196.08 -5.99 -0.07%

Dow +108.98 16,009.80 +0.69%

Nasdaq +47.89 3,969.16 +1.22%

S&P +14.53 1,795.90 +0.82%