* FTSE 100 up 0.6 pct in second day of gains
* HSBC Securities sees rise to 6,500 by end-2013
* Low implied volatility offers cheap options bets -UBS
LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Britain's top shares rose on
Tuesday, boosted by banks and commodity stocks, as investors'
appetite for riskier assets improved thanks to
better-than-expected U.S. corporate results and macro data.
Over two-thirds of U.S. companies who have already reported
third quarter results have beaten or met expectations, with
earnings on average 5.9 percent higher than forecast, according
to Thomson Reuters Starmine data.
That, along with forecast-beating data from the United
States and Germany this week, bodes well for UK corporates
looking abroad for growth while the domestic economy stumbles.
Mid-cap home shopping group N Brown is among those
cashing in on the U.S. market, with a strong trading update
boosting its shares 9.6 percent.
The UK general retail sector was one of the top performers,
up 0.9 percent. The FTSE 100 gained 36.10 points or
0.6 percent by 1048 GMT to 5,841.71 points, adding to the
previous session's 0.2 percent gain.
"We expect this rally to continue," said Robert Parkes,
equity strategist at HSBC Securities, who targets 6,500 for the
FTSE 100 by end-2013."
"We feel investors have become too pessimistic on the
earnings outlook, and if you view that alongside the fact
valuations are compelling - both in an absolute and relative
sense - and then you consider the monetary policy loosening that
you're seeing globally, you've got three reasons to be more
optimistic."
The German ZEW survey pointed to a bigger than expected pick
up in analyst and investor sentiment this month.
Risk appetite was also supported by growing expectations that
Spain could some ask for a bailout, thus triggering the European
Central Bank's crisis rescue plan to buy sovereign bonds.
That has helped pull down implied volatility on the FTSE 100
- a crude gauge of investor fear - by around 9 percent so far
this month after a 15 percent fall in September.
Low implied volatility means it is cheaper to buy options,
with derivatives strategists at UBS suggesting trades for both
sides of the market.
"Bears should consider June 2013 5,300 puts offered for
197.5 points (3.4 percent) while bullish investors might like to
own June 2013 6,200 calls for 92.5 points," they said in a note.
Underscoring the potential for downside risks, GKN
fell 4.3 percent in hefty trading volume, after the car and
plane parts maker said a sluggish European automotive market
weighed on third quarter profit and that a continued slump could
hurt the group for the remainder of the year.
Volume in GKN stood at 170 percent of its 90-day daily
average, compared with 36 percent on the FTSE 100.
"Today's (update) alerts us to trends that are likely to
deteriorate further in the fourth quarter and to spread to other
geographies," Panmure Gordon said in a note downgrading its
rating for GKN to "hold" from "buy".
"We have yet to see the word 'restructuring' but with strong
comparables for first half 2013 earnings there is no let-up for
GKN for at least another two quarters," the broker said.
(Additional Reporting by Toni Vorobyova; Editing by Ruth
Pitchford)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britains-ftse-pushes-higher-earnings-data-relief-111101253--business.html
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Annie Pilon is a freelance writer specializing inmarketing, social media, and creative topics. When she?s not writing for her various freelance projects or her personal blog Wattlebird, she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer. 