European Stocks Rise on Earnings; Suez, Aegon and BNP Advance

European stocks rallied for a third day, led by Suez SA and Aegon NV after the companies reported earnings that topped analysts' estimates.

Deutsche Bank AG and BNP Paribas SA, the biggest banks in Germany and France, respectively, gained after JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its recommendation on the shares. BHP Billiton, the world's biggest mining company, led shares of raw-material producers higher as metals prices rose.

Read more at Bloomberg.com

European shares lifted by Peugeot, Billiton

European shares rose slightly in early trade on Wednesday, extending Tuesday's gains, lifted by French car maker Peugeot and mining giant BHP Billiton.

Among major movers, PSA Peugeot Citroen rose 2.8 percent after posting a smaller decline in its 2006 consolidated operating margin than analysts had forecast.

Also on the upside, shares in BHP Billiton, the world's biggest miner, rose 4.5 percent after setting an extra $10 billion in share buybacks.

By 0929 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares was up 0.1 percent at 1,545.12 after closing 0.3 percent up at 1,543.08 points on Tuesday.

Read more at Reuters South Africa

BHP posts record profits

The world's biggest miner BHP Billiton on Wednesday reported a record first-half profit of $6.168bn, and said it expected China to continue to drive global demand for commodities.

The result was a 41.3% increase on the $4.364bn posted for the same period the previous year, the Anglo-Australian company said.

Strong demand, high commodity prices and solid production had allowed the company to achieve record results in all key earnings measures, it said.

Read more at FIN24.co.za