- US earnings lift sentiment- Speculation Spain nearing a bailout request- Germany's Meister says remarks over interpreted -Guardian- German ZEW index beats forecastsBetter-than-expected earnings from Goldman and Johnson & Johnson and signs of progress in the Eurozone saw the FTSE 100 surge 1.2 per cent on Tuesday afternoon."Global markets roared with optimism today as investors adopted a risk-on attitude thanks to strong US corporate results," said financial trade Shavaz Dhalla from Spreadex. According to Thomson Reuters Starmine data, over two-thirds of US companies that have reported earnings so far have either met or beaten expectations.Dhalla said: "Thus, in the context of tightening regulations, banking scandals and countries nearing the end of their financial tether, investors can at least take comfort in the fact that many US companies are still managing to ride the current slowdown in global growth surprisingly well."Bonds in Spain advanced slightly today after the Treasury saw solid demand at a short-term bond auction this morning admits expectations that the country is ready to request a bailout. The Treasury raised €4.86bn, topping the high-end of its €3.5-4.5bn target. Demand totalled €13.654bn overall, while yields edged lower.The German ZEW survey which measures economic sentiment improved to -11.5 in October, from -18.2 the month before and better than the -14.9 estimate. UK CPI inflation fell from 2.5% to 2.2% in September, in line with market expectations, taking the rate to its lowest level since November 2009 and close to the 2% target set by the Bank of England. Bank of America Merrill Lynch strategist John Wraith told Reuters: "Inflation numbers were in line with expectations, which on one level doesn't mean very much but on another level probably hardened more expectations of more QE being announced in November."Yet the most important moment in the session came when Bloomberg cited two German lawmakers, Michael Meister, and Norbert Barthle, the CDU's budget spokesman, to the effect that Germany is open to Spain's seeking a precautionary credit line from the euro area rescue fund. Critically, that would seem to contradict their own Finance Minister's position on the matter, even if markets would like that.All of the above ahead of this next Thursday's meeting of Eurozone leaders. FTSE 100: Financials & miners jump on increased risk appetiteFinancial and resource stocks were performing well on Tuesday afternoon as investors adopted a 'risk-on' attitude on the back of improved newsflow from the Eurozone and better-than-expected corporate results in the US. Lloyds, Admiral, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays were leading financials higher, while mining peers Evraz, Polymetal and Kazakhmys were also in demand. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has reportedly given the green-light for Lloyd's to proceed with an asset swap with its Scottish Widows life insurance arm. The lender will receive £1bn in highly liquid assets by means of using a larger pool of lower rated assets as collateral, Reuters reported, Diversified mining group Rio Tinto rose after hailing a strong set of production results in the third quarter, while Anglo American gained after saying that the illegal occupation of its Sishen Mine has been brought to an end by police. Heading the other way was global engineering firm GKN after warning that macroeconomic conditions have deteriorated in recent weeks and it was seeing evidence of softening in order books. Investec this morning cut its price target on the stock and retained a 'hold' rating. Telecoms titan BT Group was higher after Nomura reiterated its 'buy' rating on the stock, saying it prefers it to Vodafone on "structural growth drivers and dividend outlook". Meanwhile, airline group IAG was a heavy faller after Liberum Capital downgraded its recommendation for the shares to 'sell'. FTSE 250: N Brown jumps after first-half beatInternet and catalogue home shopping firm N Brown topped the risers list on Tuesday afternoon, gaining 12% after beating forecasts in the first half. The company reported that revenue in the 26 weeks to September 1st came in at £379.3m, up 4.3% on the year and ahead of the consensus estimate of £371.7m. Chip group Imagination Technologies was also a high riser after both Liberum Capital and Numis upgraded their ratings on the stock. Oil group Ophir Energy was the worst performer of the day after Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock to 'sell' and cut its price target from 565p to 505p. High Street betting firm William Hill gained after agreeing on a revised and increased possible offer with GVC for Sportingbet. Thermal processing services provider Bodycote was in demand after buying US-based Carolina Commercial Heat Treating from Bluewater Thermal Solutions for $68m. The company also said it was trading line with expectations in the most recent quarter. UK housebuilder Bellway was also a high riser after delivering a solid increase in full-year pre-tax profit, helped by a strong performance in London, and said reservations since July 31st have remained in line with expectations. FTSE 100 - RisersEvraz (EVR) 243.70p +6.33%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 42.76p +6.05%Admiral Group (ADM) 1,175.00p +5.00%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 280.00p +4.44%Barclays (BARC) 246.10p +3.91%Shire Plc (SHP) 1,856.00p +3.46%ARM Holdings (ARM) 596.00p +3.20%Polymetal International (POLY) 1,160.00p +3.02%Weir Group (WEIR) 1,771.00p +2.97%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,061.00p +2.94%FTSE 100 - FallersGKN (GKN) 204.80p -3.35%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 155.60p -1.52%Capita (CPI) 733.00p -0.81%InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 1,593.00p -0.69%Tesco (TSCO) 307.90p -0.68%Pennon Group (PNN) 717.00p -0.62%Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 356.40p -0.39%WPP (WPP) 854.50p -0.18%Vodafone Group (VOD) 173.00p -0.17%Meggitt (MGGT) 402.00p -0.12%FTSE 250 - RisersBrown (N.) Group (BWNG) 306.90p +13.79%Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 478.90p +7.86%Perform Group (PER) 430.00p +7.50%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 40.10p +6.56%Paragon Group Of Companies (PAG) 237.10p +6.32%Persimmon (PSN) 786.00p +5.29%William Hill (WMH) 342.00p +4.91%Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 1,491.00p +4.41%Bodycote (BOY) 359.40p +4.14%Cranswick (CWK) 765.50p +3.45%FTSE 250 - FallersOphir Energy (OPHR) 579.50p -3.34%Diploma (DPLM) 447.30p -1.65%ITE Group (ITE) 198.90p -1.63%Stobart Group Ltd. (STOB) 116.80p -1.52%Talvivaara Mining Company (TALV) 133.80p -1.18%Invensys (ISYS) 224.00p -1.02%Greggs (GRG) 486.10p -0.96%Carpetright (CPR) 693.00p -0.93%Dignity (DTY) 927.50p -0.91%TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 178.40p -0.89%BC
