Earnings, Sales Updates Put European Investors in Sunny Mood

European stock indices advance as a rash of positive corporate earnings and sales reports eclipse geopolitical worries, including the troubles in Gaza and Ukraine. Carmaker Daimler in Frankfurt, chemicals maker Akzo Nobel in Amsterdam , engineering company Alstom in Paris and outsourcing group Capita in London all gain, but in Zurich ABB falls after a loss at its power-systems unit pushes second-quarter earnings down sharply. In Portugal investors bid up shares in Banco Espirito Santo following news of stakebuilding by two U.S. investors. And in Frankfurt Deutsche Bank rebounds from early losses on a report that the New York Fed has taken issue with its financial accounts.