STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Friday, 14 February 2014 VALENTINE'S DAY!

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38. Europe Stocks Climb on Growth as Yen Advances With Gold

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-13/japanese-stock-futures-fall-after-u-s-equities-advance.html

European stocks rose, extending the biggest weekly advance this year, as the region’s economy grew more than forecast. The yen appreciated and gold gained before data expected to show the recovery in the U.S. is moderating.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed 0.4 percent at 8:50 a.m. in New York, headed for a 2.4 percent increase this week. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures swung between gains and losses. The yen gained 0.3 percent to 101.92 per dollar, while the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell to a two-month low. Italy’s bonds were little changed as Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigned. Gold jumped 1 percent and silver rose 2.9 percent in the longest rally since March 2008.

The euro-area’s economy expanded 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 0.1 percent in the previous three months, with Italy growing for the first time since 2011, the European Union’s statistics office said. Reports in the U.S. will probably show industrial output slowed in January while consumer sentiment weakened this month, according to Bloomberg surveys of economists.

“This is the third consecutive quarter of positive growth in the eurozone, but comes with the additional charm of much broader-based growth spreading beyond the core countries,” Evelyn Herrmann, an economist at BNP Paribas SA in London, said in a note.