This has raised optimism that the forthcoming bank earnings season in the US will tread a similar path and outperform too.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A gauge of planned business spending increased by the most in five months in October, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, raising optimism that the sharp cutbacks in capital investment during the summer were abating.
The markets were generally higher earlier in the day when an agreement between leaders of France and Germany raised optimism that European leaders would reach a credible solution to their debt crisis.
Separately, a barometer of German business sentiment rose more than expected, raising optimism that the euro zone's biggest economy is growing again after declining 0.2 percent in the last quarter of 2011.
I.B.M.'s quarterly profit was much higher than Wall Street estimates, and a long-sought recovery in its services business raised optimism that global companies were confident enough to spend more on technology.
Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel said they had agreed to meet tonight, raising optimism that they will break the deadlock over who will be the next chancellor and who will be in the new cabinet.
FRANKFURT -- Banks shares contributed to a rise in European stocks Thursday after a panel coordinating stress tests of major institutions confirmed that they will be much broader than initially planned, raising optimism that the effort will help restore confidence in the health of the European financial system.
The issue was awarded at a price to yield 6.060 percent, after a government report on Tuesday of a better-than-expected productivity gain in the second quarter and a dip in labor costs, raising optimism that the Federal Reserve Board would refrain from raising rates when the Open Market Committee meets on Aug. 22.
A Japanese study recently showed a vaccine for the disease was effective on animals, which may have raised optimism that several drug makers are on the right track.
A decline in the rate of attacks since foreign navies rushed to the busy sea lane has raised optimism that the menace was being curbed, but pirates have been seeking ways to evade the warships.
