European Factors -- Futures point higher amid results flurry

(Adds index futures, more company news; updates snapshot table)

LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - European stock futures pointed to a higher open
on Thursday as investors took heart from some positive earnings updates, with
gains on Wall Street and Asia also lending support.

Futures for the Eurostoxx 50 STXEc1 were up 0.4 percent, German DAX
futures FDXc1 were up 0.6 percent and French CAC futures FCEc1 were up 0.5
percent.
U.S. stocks climbed on Wednesday after grim data offered hints of future
expansion, while the Federal Reserve at the conclusion of its monetary meeting
said that economic outlook had improved modestly since its last meeting in
March. [ID:nN29446498]

"Last night's FOMC saw the release of some encouraging comments with the Fed
suggesting that the worst of the recession may now be behind us...European
markets look set to open Thursday's session a little stronger too with
yesterday's gains likely to be locked in as a result," said Matt Buckland, a
dealer at CMC Markets in a note.

"We still however have the issue of swine flu lurking although at least so
far the WHO's upgrading of the pandemic threat to level 5 hasn't presented any
real concerns," he said.

Data due later in the day include U.S. core personal consumption expenditure
and Chicago PMI.

The Fed kept rates in the zero to 0.25 percent range they reached in
December, and the Bank of Japan also kept interest rates on hold after its
latest meeting on Thursday and held off on any new recession-easing initiatives.

Meanwhile, oil rose to more than $51 a barrel, extending gains, as traders
focused on improving economic data and draining fuel stocks.

----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0640 GMT----------------------

LAST PCT CHG NET CHG

S&P 500 .SPX 873.64 2.16 % 18.48

NIKKEI .N225 8,828.26 3.94 % 334.49

MSCI ASIA EX-JP .MIASJ0000PUS 334.64 4.19 % 13.45

EUR/USD EUR= 1.3324 0.55 % 0.0073

USD/JPY JPY= 97.34 -0.30 % -0.2900

10-YR US TSY YLD US10YT=RR 3.102 -- -0.01

10-YR BUND YLD EU10YT=RR 3.184 -- 0.06

SPOT GOLD XAU= $897.10 -0.06 % -$0.50

US CRUDE CLc1 $51.65 1.33 % 0.69

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* Wall St jumps after data, Fed hint recession easing [ID:nLU422410]

* GLOBAL-World stocks hit 4-mth peak, Asia powers gains [ID:nLU504258]

* Gold hovers below $900 on stock market gains [ID:nT339729]

* Bonds fall as Fed gives hopeful outlOOK [ID:nLU428948]

* Yen falls as confidence improves on US outlook [ID:nT160090]

* Shanghai copper tracks LME gains, lifted by econ hopes [ID:nSHA279637]

* Crude slips further below $51 after 2 pct gain in US [ID:nT275927]

COMPANIES

ANGLO AMERICAN (AAL.L)

Mining group Anglo American posted a 22 percent rise in first quarter iron
ore output on Thursday while copper production declined by 5.4 percent.
[ID:nLT544079]

BG GROUP (BG.L)

British gas producer BG Group (BG.L) said first-quarter profit, excluding
one-off items, fell 13 percent to 690 million pounds ($1.02 billion), due to
lower oil prices. The result beat a forecast of 613 million pounds in a Reuters
Estimates analysts poll. [ID:nLU888551

ERICSSON ERICB.ST

Telecom gear maker Ericsson (ERICb.ST) posted a smaller-than-expected fall
in first-quarter net profit on Thursday and said the effect of the global
downturn on the mobile network market remained limited. [ID:nSAT006237]

KAZAKHMYS (KAZ.L)

Kazakh miner Kazakhmys (KAZ.L) posted a 20 percent fall in first-quarter
copper cathode production on Thursday. Total copper cathode output for the
FTSE-100 miner declined to 85,600 tonnes in the first three months of 2009 from
106,600 tonnes in the previous quarter. [ID:nLT50313]

BASF (BASF.DE)

BASF's first quarter operating profit slumped 58 percent as demand from key
customers in the automotive and construction sectors shows no sign of recovery,
prompting the chemicals group to cut jobs. [ID:nFAB013073]

LUFTHANSA (LHAG.DE)

Germany's largest airline posted a first-quarter operating loss of 44
million euros which beat expectations of a Reuters analyst poll of a quarterly
loss of 141 million euros. [ID:nLS222316] Reuters poll: [ID:nLR959674]

Related news [LHAG.DE-E]

INFINEON (IFXGn.DE)

German chipmaker Infineon expects third-quarter operating results to improve
significantly and revenues to gain around 10 percent from the second quarter but
saw full-year revenue down 20 percent. [ID:nLU53494]

BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING (BSY.L)

British pay-TV operator BSkyB (BSY.L) added 80,000 net new customers in the
third quarter due to a boost from its high-definition offer but said it expected
conditions to remain challenging in 2009. [ID:nLO283451]

MAN (MANG.DE)

German industrial group MAN posted a 76 percent decline in first-quarter
operating profit as its core truckmaking business barely broke even amid a
global plunge in demand, the company said on Thursday. [ID:nLT457269]

STANDARD LIFE (SL.L)

British life insurer Standard Life on Thursday reported a
better-than-expected 20 percent drop in first quarter sales, blaming tougher
markets, and said its capital surplus was little changed. [ID:nLU43670]

CADBURY (CBRY.L)

British confectionery group Cadbury Plc (CBRY.L) reported a 2 percent rise
in underlying first-quarter sales on Thursday and confirmed its revenue and
margin targets for the year despite the world economic downturn. [ID:nLT897417]

SMITH & NEPHEW (SN.L)

Europe's biggest medical device maker, reported weaker first quarter revenue
growth on Thursday as cash strapped patients and hospitals cut back. The company
said first quarter adjusted earnings per share was $0.131 against $0.128 in the
same period last year, in the middle of a range of ten analysts' forecasts of
$0.12 to $0.14 provided by the company. [ID:nLU721126]

CAPGEMINI (CAPP.PA)

Capgemini, Europe's largest computer consultancy, kept its sales and margin
goals for the first half as it posted a 0.3 percent drop in like-for-like
first-quarter sales that beat expectations. [ID:nLU397388]

FIAT (FIA.MI)

Efforts to reach a deal between potential partner Chrysler and the U.S.
company's lenders hit a major roadblock as talks between the U.S. Treasury
Department and some fractious lenders collapsed meaning bankruptcy for Chrysler
was "all but certain". [ID:nLT878745]

STMICROELECTRONICS (STM.PA) (STM.N)

STMicroelectronics posted a sharp drop in sales and a deeper loss in the
first quarter, as weak consumer demand and efforts to reduce inventory took a
toll on the Franco-Italian chipmaker. [ID:nN29410180]

FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE (FMEG.DE)

Fresenius Medical Care's (FMEG.DE) first-quarter net income rose 7 percent
as patient numbers increased, FMC said on Thursday. Net income at the world's
largest dialysis provider, which generates about two-thirds of its sales in
North America, came in at $198 million, compared with an average estimate of
$189 million in a Reuters survey of 16 analysts. [ID:nLT579846]

DASSAULT SYSTEMES (DAST.PA)

French software firm Dassault Systemes cut its 2009 revenue and earnings
goals because of the global economic downturn as it posted a 6 percent decline
in first-quarter revenue. [ID:nLU379966]

(Reporting by Joanne Frearson)