Miners and Banks Boost European Stocks

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By Trey Thoelcke Published
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European stocks are up today on the possibility of further monetary stimulus in China boosted investor confidence, and investors await reports that may show the U.S. economy is improving.

Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg, head of the group of eurozone finance ministers, heads to Athens tomorrow to discuss with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras a two-year extension to the country’s fiscal-adjustment program. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet in Berlin on Thursday.

In European trading, miners Rio Tinto PLC (NYSE: RIO) picked up 1.8%, BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) rose 1.4% and Anglo American PLC gained 1.8%. Lonmin PLC was up 2.5% after management said striking miners who do not return to work today may keep their jobs.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (NYSE: RBS) added 2%, while Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) gained 1.6% and Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE: LYG) increased 1%. Credit Agricole SA rose 2.2%, Société Générale SA added 1.7% and BNP Paribas SA was 1.6% higher. Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) added 1.2%.

Straumann plunged 6.7% after a disappointing earnings report. Chocolate maker Lindt slipped 0.8% despite better-than-expected earnings.

London’s FTSE 100 is up 0.3%. The German Dax is 0.4% higher and the CAC 40 has gained 0.7%.

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.

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