- Eyes on Spanish auction- Central bank stimulus speculation boosts stocks- MPC to reveal rate decision at noonUK stocks headed higher on Thursday morning ahead of a crucial bond auction in Spain later on today; meanwhile speculation of central bank stimulus at home and abroad lifted sentiment early on.Investors will be keeping a close eye on a crucial bond auction in Madrid as Spain attempts to sell up between €1bn and €2bn of two-, four- and 10-year bonds. US stocks surged last night following the release of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book which painted a more upbeat picture of the world's largest economy. However, Janet Yellen, the vice-chair of the Fed, said that if the recovery fails to be satisfactory, "I am convinced that scope remains for the Federal Open Market Committee to provide further policy accommodation."The European Central Bank (ECB) yesterday left its key interest rate unchanged at 1%, saying that it will extend its liquidity loans for banks for the rest of the year. In the subsequent press conference, ECB President Mario Draghi said: "We monitor all developments closely and we stand ready to act".Meanwhile, eyes will be on the Bank of England (BoE) with the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) expected to make its interest rate decision at midday. While there are some that are calling for a rate cut, most are expecting the status quo to be maintained. However, following an increase to the asset purchase programme last month and some gloomy economic data since then, many economists - such as those at Deutsche Bank and Citigroup - expect another £50bn in quantitative easing to be announced.FTSE 100: Johnson Matthey leads the risePlatinum refiner Johnson Matthey jumped after hailing another year of strong growth as it delivered numbers ahead of market expectations and a special divi worth a quid a share. Revenue in the year to March 31st rose 20% to £12,023m from £9,985m the year before, comfortably ahead of market expectations of £11,213m.Banks were also providing a lift early on, with Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and Barclays making decent gains. Luxury brand Burberry was also a high riser after Credit Suisse upgraded the stock to outperform.Tullow Oil edged higher after its Paon-1X exploration well offshore Côte d'Ivoire found good quality light oil in a Turonian fan system.Telecoms giant Vodafone fell slightly after announcing an agreement with Telefonica to create one national grid in the UK by pooling together parts of their network infrastructure.FTSE 250: Betfair on the upOnline betting exchange Betfair rose after confirming it has received an online gaming licence from the Spanish government. The move had been anticipated since the end of May but the decision sees the final stage of a process begun in the Spring of last year, when Spain's new gambling legislation was first introduced. Sector peers bwin.party and Ladbrokes, who announced they had won licences on June 1st, rose in sympathy.Gold miner African Barrick Gold (ABG) retreated after yesterday's near-15% jump. Its parent company Barrick Gold announced on Wednesday afternoon that President and CEO Aaron Regent has been replaced with the group citing disappointment over its recent share price performance. Regent has now left ABG as Chairman.FTSE 100 - RisersJohnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,269.00p +3.28%Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,358.00p +2.57%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 218.50p +2.49%ITV (ITV) 73.50p +2.23%InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 1,496.00p +1.77%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,463.00p +1.74%Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 336.40p +1.66%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 27.48p +1.61%Barclays (BARC) 190.60p +1.49%GKN (GKN) 180.30p +1.41%FTSE 100 - FallersWeir Group (WEIR) 1,452.00p -2.22%Fresnillo (FRES) 1,446.00p -1.77%Evraz (EVR) 282.40p -1.67%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 5,880.00p -1.67%United Utilities Group (UU.) 670.00p -1.18%ICAP (IAP) 337.30p -1.06%Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 800.50p -0.93%Man Group (EMG) 80.20p -0.80%WPP (WPP) 755.00p -0.66%Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,046.00p -0.66%FTSE 250 - RisersBarratt Developments (BDEV) 125.30p +3.90%Rank Group (RNK) 121.90p +3.31%Exillon Energy (EXI) 99.50p +2.95%Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 489.50p +2.77%Persimmon (PSN) 567.50p +2.62%BH Global Ltd. USD Shares (BHGU) 11.59 +2.48%Bumi (BUMI) 327.50p +2.34%Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 44.58p +2.22%Home Retail Group (HOME) 73.00p +2.10%Grainger (GRI) 86.65p +1.94%FTSE 250 - FallersCranswick (CWK) 802.00p -4.58%Afren (AFR) 111.90p -2.27%Telecom Plus (TEP) 760.00p -2.25%Perform Group (PER) 355.00p -1.93%EnQuest (ENQ) 118.80p -1.90%Devro (DVO) 310.30p -1.77%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 393.20p -1.75%PayPoint (PAY) 688.00p -1.43%Perpetual Income & Growth Inv Trust (PLI) 250.80p -1.42%Barr (A.G.) (BAG) 350.00p -1.41%BC
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