7:30AM Asia advances with Australia higher on bid talk speculation.
Asian markets were mostly higher on Thursday. Japanese markets were closed Thursday for a public holiday. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia rose 0.4% to 5,469.30. In Australian trading, shares of Qantas declined 2.4%. The Australian national carrier surged 15% to a record high in the previous session after confirming it was in takeover talks with a private equity consortium led by Macquarie Bank Ltd. and Texas Pacific Group, with some estimating the deal could be worth as much as $8.5 billion.

Shares of Metcash, a food and liquor wholesaler, gained 2.5% while Foster''s jumped 5.8%, with both companies advancing on reports they may become the next takeover targets. Shares of BHP Billiton were little affected by reports the mining company may be considering a bid for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Shares of BHP fell 0.1% in late Australian trading.

The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong edged 0.4% higher to 19,317.75, extending gains after closing at a fresh record Wednesday. The China Enterprises Index, Hong Kong benchmark for China shares, rose 1.4%. Malaysia KLSE Composite traded basically flat and New Zealand NZX-50 Index added 1%.

Kospi in South Korea shed 0.3% while Taiwan Weighted Price Index rose 0.5%. Shanghai Composite Index gained 1%. Indonesia JSX Composite fell 0.3%. Shares of Samsung Electronics inched 0.2% higher, pacing gains in U.S. technology shares.


6:30AM European stocks fall Thursday on thin trading and financials.
European markets were lower on Thursday. By mid morning, the FTSE 100 in London lost 0.3% to 6,143.2, Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax fell 0.1% to 6,472.23, the CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.2% to 5,442.74.

Advancers

Swisscom, the telecoms group, gained 1.9% after it said late on Wednesday it was in talks with the UK Vodafone to repurchase a 25% stake in Swisscom Mobile. Vodafone shares gained 1.1%.

Greek mobile group Cosmote meanwhile gained 0.7% after Greek market regulator approved the company mandatory public offer for the remaining shares it does not already own in Germanos, the phone retailer.

Decliners

KBC Group, the Belgian financial services company, fell 2.7% as concerns over lower fees and loan impairment charges overshadowed better-than-expected third-quarter profits.

French Credit Agricole fell 2.1%, advancing the previous session losses when it reported a continued slowdown in profit growth and weaker-than-expected third-quarter revenues.

Air France lost 6.8%, the biggest decline on the market. Net income for the quarter ended Sept. 30 gained 26% to 374 million euros ($484.8 million), excluding the gain from the sale of a stake in Amadeus Global Travel Distribution SA. That compares with the median estimate of 370 million euros of analysts, lagging a bit behind.

Oil and gold

Crude oil fell because U.S. oil supplies advanced to a five-month high and tankers started loading crude at the port of Valdez, Alaska, for the first time since Nov. 20 after the weather improved. Crude oil for January delivery fell as much as 35 cents, or 0.6%, to $58.89 a barrel in electronic trading on the NYME. The contract traded at $58.99 in early trading in London.

Gold for immediate delivery fell as much as $1.30, or 0.2 %, to $629.00 an ounce.

Currencies

The euro advanced to the highest against the dollar since June after a report showed business confidence in Germany, the largest economy in Europe, unexpectedly rose to a 15- year high this month. The euro gained to $1.2959 in early trading in London, from $1.2942 late yesterday in New York, when it reached $1.2957. The European currency traded at 150.79 yen, from 151.10. The dollar traded at 116.37 yen, from 116.74. Against the dollar, the British pound was at $1.9145 from $1.9139 late yesterday.