(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei 14,477.16 +53.97 +0.37%

Hang Seng 21,887.75 +155.43 +0.72%

Shanghai Composite 2,063.67 -3.64 -0.18%

S&P 500 1,852.56 -13.06 -0.70%

NASDAQ 4,173.58 -60.69 -1.43%

Dow 16,268.99 -98.89 -0.60%   

FTSE 6,605.3 +0.41 +0.01%

CAC 4,385.15 +41.03 +0.94%

DAX 9,448.58 +110.18 +1.18%

European stocks rose for a second day, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index posting its biggest two-day gain in three weeks, as auto companies climbed.

The Stoxx 600 added 0.7 percent. The benchmark index has rallied 2 percent in the past two days, after falling 4 percent through March 24 as tension grew between the West and Russia over Ukraine. The measure is still heading for a 2.1 percent drop this month, its biggest monthly decline since June.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks today on what the standoff with Russia over Ukraine means for European security, as the former Soviet republic holds bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund. The U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russian officials and threatened more if President Vladimir Putin fails to ease the crisis.

In the U.S., Commerce Department data showed durable-goods orders rose 2.2 percent in February, beating economists’ forecasts for a 0.8 percent gain.

A gauge of German consumer confidence will remain at a seven-year high in April, Nuremberg-based GfK AG said today. The research company estimated that its index will hold at 8.5 next month, unchanged from March.

National benchmark indexes rose in 16 of the 18 western-European markets.

FTSE 100 6,605.3 +0.41 +0.01% CAC 40 4,385.15 +41.03 +0.94% DAX 9,448.58 +110.18 +1.18%  

Peugeot added 3.1 percent to 13.06 euros. The carmaker got more than 120,000 orders in a year for its 2008 crossover model, while orders for its 308 vehicle stand at 65,000, La Tribune newspaper reported, citing an unidentified person at the company.

Volkswagen AG, Europe’s largest automaker, rose 1.4 percent to 183.55 euros. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG advanced 1.3 percent to 90.58 euros. A gauge of European auto stocks posted the best performance of the 19 industry groups on the Stoxx 600.

Standard Life jumped 6.7 percent to 399 pence after Scotland’s biggest insurer said its Standard Life Investments unit is buying Ignis Asset Management from Phoenix for 390 million pounds ($645 million). Phoenix rose 4.7 percent to 743.5 pence.

Airbus Group NV advanced 1.3 percent to 52.69 euros after Les Echos reported it is extending its partnership with Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The aircraft manufacturer and Avic plan to produce 1,000 EC175 helicopters over the next 20 years, according to the report, which didn’t cite anyone.

Mediaset SpA climbed 3.9 percent to 4.03 euros after the broadcaster controlled by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi posted a return to profit for 2013. Net income last year totaled 8.9 million euros ($12.3 million) after a net loss in 2012. Sales fell 8.2 percent to 3.41 billion euros, compared with the 3.44 billion-euro average of analyst estimates.

William Hill Plc increased 2.8 percent to 348.9 pence. HSBC Holdings Plc upgraded the bookmaker to overweight, the equivalent of a buy rating, from underweight, saying that the prospect of further regulatory change has now been priced in to the shares, while its online operations are growing.

U.S. stock-index futures rose, investors weighed a report showing durable-goods orders rose more than forecast while investment in business equipment fell.

Global markets:

Nikkei 14,477.16 +53.97 +0.37%

Hang Seng 21,887.75 +155.43 +0.72%

Shanghai Composite 2,063.67 -3.64 -0.18%

FTSE 6,639.17 +34.28 +0.52%

CAC 4,393.21 +49.09 +1.13%

DAX 9,473.18 +134.78 +1.44%

Crude oil $99.67 (+0.48%)

Gold $1313.80 (-0.18%).

Upgrades:

Downgrades:

Other:

Tesla Motors (TSLA) initiated with a Neutral at UBS, target $230

European stocks advanced for a second day as investors awaited data that may show an increase in U.S. durable-goods orders. U.S. stock-index futures and Asian shares rose.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.7 percent to 330.7 at 9:59 a.m. in London. The benchmark index is heading for a 2.2 percent drop this month, its biggest monthly decline since June, amid tension between the West and Russia over Ukraine, and data indicating a slowdown in Chinese economic growth. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures increased 0.2 percent today and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 1 percent.

A report at 8:30 a.m. New York time will show U.S. durable-goods orders rose 0.8 percent in February after declining 1 percent the previous month, according to the average economist estimate in a Bloomberg News survey.

A gauge of German consumer confidence will remain at a seven-year high in April, Nuremberg-based GfK AG said today. The research company estimated that its consumer sentiment index will hold at 8.5 next month, unchanged from March.

President Mario Draghi late yesterday reiterated in a speech in Paris that the European Central Bank will act if necessary to safeguard the region’s economy.

He also said the central bank’s accommodative monetary policy should become more effective within the euro-area economy as disruptions in the financial system dissipate, while warning that risks remain.

Airbus climbed 1.4 percent to 52.76 euros. The aircraft manufacturer and Avic plan to produce 1,000 EC175 helicopters over the next 20 years, according to the report, which didn’t cite anyone.

Mediaset added 1.1 percent to 3.92 euros. The broadcaster said late yesterday that net income last year totaled 8.9 million euros ($12.3 million) after a net loss in 2012. Sales fell 8.2 percent to 3.41 billion euros, compared with the 3.44 billion-euro average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Lloyds slipped 3.9 percent to 76 pence. The U.K. government raised 4.2 billion pounds ($6.9 billion) from selling shares at 75.5 pence apiece, U.K. Financial Investments Ltd., which manages the government’s investment in the lender, said in a statement. The shares were sold at a 4.6 percent discount to yesterday’s closing price. The sale reduces the government’s stake in Lloyds to less than 25 percent from 33 percent.

FTSE 100 6,637.42 +32.53 +0.49%

CAC 40 4,390.03 +45.91 +1.06%

DAX 9,461.58 +123.18 +1.32%

Asian stocks rose after U.S. consumer confidence climbed to a six-year high, buoying investor optimism about the outlook for the world’s biggest economy.

Nikkei 225 14,477.16 +53.97 +0.37%

Hang Seng 21,887.75 +155.43 +0.72%

S&P/ASX 200 5,376.75 +40.13 +0.75%

Shanghai Composite 2,063.67 -3.64 -0.18%

Samsung Electronics Co., a consumer electronics maker that gets a fifth of its revenue in America, rose 3 percent in Seoul.

China Mengniu Dairy Co., the country’s largest dairy producer, soared 8.6 percent in Hong Kong after posting a 25 percent profit gain last year.

Kirin Holdings Co. advanced 2.6 percent on a report the Japanese beverage maker will raise its annual dividend to at least 40 yen and consider a share buyback.