Global shares gain on U.S. tech earnings, ECB purchase plans

By Sam Forgione

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A measure of global equity markets advanced on Tuesday after technology earnings lifted U.S. shares and the prospect of European Central Bank corporate bond purchases boosted European stocks and weighed on safe-haven U.S. Treasuries prices.

A rally in shares of Apple Inc and Texas Instruments Inc after stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings reports lifted the tech-heavy Nasdaq index over 1 percent and helped put the S&P 500 on track for a fourth straight session of gains, while European shares gained on a Reuters report that the ECB was readying a plan to buy corporate bonds.

The Dow's gains were limited, however, following disappointing results from Coca-Cola. U.S. corporate earnings season will ramp up this week, with nearly 130 S&P 500 companies scheduled to report.

"This was strong across all sectors, and Apple gave a good guidance. Any fund manager who is underweight on Apple is probably rethinking that position today," said Michael Binger, senior portfolio manager at Minneapolis-based Gradient Investments, which owns Apple stock.

U.S. data on Tuesday showed existing home sales rose 2.4 percent in September to an annual rate of 5.17 million units, the strongest reading since September 2013.

The report that the ECB is considering buying corporate bonds sparked a rally in the shares of peripheral European countries and led the broader gains in European stocks. The news also sent low-risk U.S. Treasuries prices lower and hurt the euro.

"It increases the potential scale of the purchases the ECB will be able to make if they extend out into the corporate bond market," said Lee Hardman, a strategist with Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi in London.

Official data showing China's gross domestic product grew 7.3 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, marking the weakest growth since the first quarter of 2009, weighed on Chinese shares and stoked concerns over global economic growth.

MSCI's all-country world index was last up 1 percent at 403.9, while the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares added 1.91 percent to 1,297.03.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.61 percent at 16,500.22, while the S&P 500 was up 1.25 percent at 1,927.81 and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.58 percent to 4,384.34.

The dollar index, which tracks the greenback versus a basket of six currencies, rose 0.36 percent to 85.259. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes were last down 7/32 to yield 2.21 percent.

Brent crude was last up $0.11, or 0.14 percent, at $85.51 a barrel. U.S. crude was last up $0.29, or 0.35 percent, at $83 per barrel.

(Additional reporting by Marc Jones and Patrick Graham in London and Ryan Vlasetlica and Richard Leong in New York)