Sector movers: Barclays leads banks higher

Banks were performing well on Tuesday, following the sell-off seen the day before on the back of Eurozone debt worries.Economic data from both Europe and the US came in broadly better-than-expected, lifting optimism about the global outlook. In particular, Spain issued €3.18bn in short-term government bonds this morning and while yields rose as expected, the issuance was higher than the €2-3bn target range and demand for both 12- and 18-month notes was strong. Barclays was leading the charge after Bank of America Merrill Lynch suggested the broking community could be about to up their earnings forecast for the bank. "With Eurozone fears hitting the shares recently, we think the first-quarter results could re-focus investors to the fundamental attractions," the US broker reckons. Sector peers RBS and Lloyds were also in demand.Meanwhile, the automobiles and parts sector was higher with shares in automotive and aerospace engineer GKN performing strongly ahead of tomorrow's trading update.Credit Suisse upgraded its rating on the firm on Thursday (April 12th) from neutral to outperform, highlighting the stock's recent underperformance. The group has made headlines in recent months due to the rumoured acquisition of aircraft engine group Volvo Aero, however over the last month (prior to Thursday), the share price had fallen by 11% and underperformed the sector by 4%. The broker said that any concerns surrounding the acquisition are now discounted in the current price. Top performing sectors so far todayAutomobiles & Parts 4,952.02 +3.98%Life Insurance 4,290.28 +3.00%Industrial Metals & Mining 4,048.80 +2.96%Banks 3,819.61 +2.95%Oil Equipment, Services & Distribution 26,401.37 +2.81%Bottom performing sectors so far todayPersonal Goods 23,178.50 -4.64%Technology Hardware & Equipment 808.02 -0.13%Tobacco 36,129.78 -0.01%BC