European stock-index futures climbed, signaling equities may rebound from the biggest selloff in five weeks, as companies from ABB Ltd. to Sanofi-Aventis SA reported earnings. Asian shares and U.S. futures rose. ABB may be active after the world’s largest maker of power- transmission gear posted better-than-estimated profit. France Telecom SA might advance after the country’s largest phone company posted profit that topped analysts’ projections. Sanofi- Aventis may gain after the French drugmaker raised its profit forecast for this year. Futures on the Euro Stoxx 50 Index rose 0.6 percent to 2,838 at 7:15 a.m. in London. FTSE 100 Index futures climbed 0.6 percent while Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures gained 0.1 percent. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.4 percent after Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.’s profit beat estimates and Canon Inc. raised its earnings forecast. U.S. stocks pared more than half of their losses in late afternoon trade yesterday, paced by a surge in Broadcom Corp. after the company posted better-than-estimated quarterly revenue. Benchmark indexes still closed lower after commodity- related-shares retreated as the dollar strengthened. Stocks in Europe are “seen opening higher, tracking an afternoon rebound in the U.S,” said Jonathan Sudaria, a night dealer at London Capital Group. “Positive results from Asian financial and technology stocks are also lifting European bourses in early trade.” Bond Purchases The Stoxx Europe 600 Index sank 0.8 percent yesterday as results from SAP AG to Heineken NV missed analysts’ estimates. The gauge has still climbed 2 percent so far this month amid speculation the Federal Reserve will next week unveil another round of bond purchases to help shore up the economy. The Fed has asked bond dealers and investors for projections of central bank asset purchases over the next six months, along with the likely effect on yields, as it seeks to gauge the possible impact of new efforts to spur growth. The New York Fed survey, obtained by Bloomberg News, asks about expectations for the initial size of any new program of debt purchases and the time over which it would be completed. It also asks firms how often they anticipate the Fed will re- evaluate the program, and to estimate its ultimate size. Easing Program The Bank of Japan will purchase corporate debt with lower credit ratings than it accepted before, as part of its latest easing program that attempts to support the economy by helping companies borrow. The central bank maintained its benchmark overnight call rate between zero percent and 0.1 percent and kept the amounts of its 5 trillion-yen ($61 billion) asset buying program and 30 trillion-yen credit program unchanged. Thirty-seven companies on the Stoxx 600 are scheduled to report earnings results today. Of the 96 companies in the benchmark gauge to have announced results since Oct. 7, 65 percent have beaten analyst estimates for per-share income, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. In the U.S., 85 percent of S&P 500 companies have topped predictions in the period. France Telecom may gain after the company reported a 1.9 percent rise in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the third quarter to 4.26 billion euros ($5.89 billion), driven by its expansion into Africa and the Middle East. Analysts had predicted Ebitda of 4.14 billion euros, according to the average of nine estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Revenue climbed 4 percent. ABB, Sanofi Shares of ABB might move in Zurich after the company reported third-quarter profit of $774 million, beating the average analyst estimate of $668 million. That is still down from about $1 billion last year. ABB said increased spending by customers on industrial equipment will support earnings and sales into 2011. Sanofi-Aventis, which is seeking to take over Genzyme Corp. of the U.S., may advance. The drugmaker said earnings per share may increase as much as 2 percent. On July 23, the company said its full-year EPS would be unchanged at best and could drop as much as 4 percent. Third-quarter profit rose 8.9 percent. Royal Dutch Shell Plc might be active after Europe’s largest oil company posted third-quarter profit excluding items of $4.9 billion, as a recovery in energy demand lifted oil prices. That topped analysts’ average estimate of $4.3 billion. BASF SE, the world’s largest chemical maker, will resume a dividend increase after third-quarter profit jumped by 1 billion euros and the company raised sales and earnings outlooks for 2010. SEB AB might move after the second-largest bank in the Baltic countries said third-quarter profit surged, beating estimates, after loan losses dropped in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Renault SA may be active after France’s second-largest carmaker reported a 7.6 percent rise in third-quarter sales to 8.71 billion euros boosted by growth in emerging markets such as Russia, Brazil and Argentina. Revenue topped the 8.65 billion- euro average estimate of six analysts. To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Jones in London at sjones35@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Merritt at dmerritt1@bloomberg.net.

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