AMERICAN MARKETS OUTLOOK: U.S. stock futures rose Thursday after Germany's Bundestag overwhelmingly passed reforms to expand the European Financial Stability Facility.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 107 points to 11074, while those on the Standard & Poor's 500 index added 10 points to 1158.75. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 25 points to 2243.50.

Among the companies whose shares are expected to actively trade in Thursday's session are Advanced Micro Devices, Texas Industries and BioDelivery Sciences International.

EUROPEAN MARKETS: Euro Stoxx 50 extended gains and is 1% higher at 2198.71 led by banking stocks, with Commerzbank up 6.6% and Deutsche Bank 3.5% higher. BNP Paribas gained 6.4% and Societe Generale added nearly 5%. The Stoxx Europe 600 for the banking sector was up 1.8% at 136.71.

Supporting the Stoxx 600, shares of heavyweight component Hennes & Mauritz rose 5%. The clothing retailer said third-quarter net profit fell 15%, but the company also said it will open more stores than originally planned in fiscal year 2010-2011. The German DAX 30 index rose 0.5% to 5,606.46, and the French CAC 40 index rose nearly 1% to 3,022.12.

London's FTSE 100 was down 0.5% at 5191.69, pressured by weak mining shares amid lower metal prices. Xstrata and Antofagasta were both down 2.3%. However, the passage of the EFSF vote in Germany has seen bank stocks rise in London, with Royal Bank of Scotland up 1.9% and Lloyds Banking Group increasing 1.3%. Elsewhere, Tate & Lyle jumped 3.4% after it pleases the market with its trading update.

At 1025 GMT, December bunds were up 0.01 at 135.67, and December gilts were 0.27 higher at 129.39.

At 1025 GMT, the dollar was up at Y76.68, the euro had climbed to $1.3637, and the pound was also higher at $1.5650.

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TOP STORIES: 
 

GERMAN PARLIAMENT PASSES EFSF REFORM BY A WIDE MARGIN: Germany's parliament approved by a wide margin legislation to boost the scope and volume of the euro zone's current rescue fund.

EURO-ZONE CONFIDENCE EVAPORATES: Business and consumers across the 17 countries that share the euro have become much more downbeat about their prospects during September as the currency area's fiscal crisis intensified.

NOKIA TO CUT JOBS IN MAJOR ADJUSTMENT: Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker by volume, said it will shed up to 3,500 jobs globally as it realigns its business, scales down and refocuses its manufacturing operations.

GERMAN LABOR MARKET REMAINS ROBUST: Germany's seasonally adjusted jobless figures fell sharply in September, showing that the country's labor market remains robust even against the backdrop of financial market turmoil.

FOUR COUNTRIES REVIEW SHORT SELLING BAN: The four European countries that banned short-selling positions last month are reviewing the ban and will lift it as soon as markets return to normal, ESMA Chairman Steven Maijoor said.

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INSIGHT & ANALYSIS FROM DOW JONES NEWSWIRES: 
 

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: As Angela Merkel raced to convince Germans that their prosperity rests on preserving the euro, she encounters strong resistance even from those in her own party who have been among the country's most pro-Europe politicians.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE: These are some pretty big cracks appearing in proposals to turbo-charge the EFSF, and it looks as though the currency markets are ignoring them, hoping that a grand plan for Europe is just around the corner.

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STILL TO COME 
 
ET/GMT COUNTRY/PERIOD 
0830 1230  CAN  Aug     Industrial product & raw materials price indexes 
0830 1230  CAN  Jul     Payroll employment, earnings & hours 
0830 1230  US   2Q      3rd estimate GDP 
0830 1230  US   Sep 24  Unemployment Insurance Claims Report - Initial Claims 
0830 1230  US           Philadelphia Fed President Plosser speech at Business Leaders Forum 
0945 1345  US   Sep 25  Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index 
1000 1400  US   Sep 17  DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer 
1000 1400  US   Aug     Pending Home Sales Index 
1030 1430  US   Sep 23  EIA Natural Gas Storage Report 
1100 1500  US   Sep     Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Survey of Tenth 
1630 2030  US   Sep 19  Money Stock Measures 
1630 2030  US   Sep 28  Foreign Central Bank Holdings 
1630 2030  US   Sep 28  Federal Discount Window Borrowings 
1901 2301  UK   Sep     Consumer Confidence Survey 
1915 2315  JPN  Sep     Manufacturing PMI 
1930 2330  JPN  Aug     Labor Force Survey 
1930 2330  JPN  Aug     Household Spending 
1900 2330  JPN  Sep     CPI (Tokyo), CPI ex-Food (Tokyo) 
1930 2330  JPN  Aug     CPI (Nation), CPI ex-food (Nation) 
1950 2350  JPN  Aug     Preliminary Industrial Production 
 

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OTHER NEWS: 
 

HENNES & MAURITZ 3Q NET PROFIT DOWN: Hennes & Mauritz, the world's second-largest fashion retailer, said its net profit fell 15% in the third quarter and said it will open more stores in fiscal 2010-2011, suggesting the European retail sector may be on the road to recovery.

SPAIN POSTPONES IPO OF LOTTERY COMPANY: Citing unfavorable market conditions, the Spanish government decided to postpone the initial public offering of its national lottery operator. The 30% stake sale was expected to value the company at EUR25 billion.

NORTH STREET CAPITAL TO BUY SPYKER CARS: U.S. private equity firm North Street Capital agreed to buy Dutch carmaker Spyker Cars, the Financial Times reported, citing a draft announcement of the deal.

SPAIN'S IBERIA PLANS LOW-COST AIRLINE: The board of Spanish airline Iberia is planning to approve the launch of a low-cost air carrier for short and medium-haul flights, El Pais reported

ORACLE LASHES OUT AT AUTONOMY CEO OVER DEAL: Oracle fired back at Autonomy, saying the British business-analytics company's chief didn't tell the truth about an April meeting purportedly held to shop the business around.

S&P SAYS REGULATION TO HIT EUROPE CORPORATES: The introduction of new European regulation could keep banks and insurers from lending to companies even if those companies are willing to pay higher borrowing costs, Standard & Poor's said.

POTENTIAL LME SALE DRAWS STRONG INTEREST: At least 10 interested parties have approached the London Metal Exchange about a potential buyout, but bidders will have to overcome LME shareholder fears about possible changes to exchange operations.

-By James Leigh, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420-7842-9482; james.leigh@dowjones.com

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