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By Bloomberg

Stocks rose before reports that will provide evidence on the strength of the U.S. economy as the Federal Reserve prepared to begin a two-day meeting. Sweden's krona weakened after the central bank cut its main interest rate to zero.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.7 percent at 6:34 a.m. in New York as seven shares advanced for every one that declined. Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures added 0.5 percent, and Chinese equities rallied the most in three months after industrial profit increased. Copper gained 0.5 percent. The krona slid to a four-year low against the dollar.

U.S. durable goods orders and consumer confidence probably rose, economists said before reports today. The Fed is set to finish its monthly bond-buying and leave its key interest rate unchanged near zero, according to Bloomberg surveys of analysts. Pfizer Inc. and Facebook Inc. release earnings after Amgen Inc. and Novartis AG's profit beat estimates.

"The macro numbers are becoming more and more important to evaluate when the Fed will exit its policy of cheap money," Soeren Steinert, who helps manage $24 billion as associate director for equities trading at Quoniam Asset Management GmbH in Frankfurt, wrote in an e-mail. "The market is following every word."

All but one of the 19 industry groups in the Stoxx 600 gained as the gauge advanced for the first time in three days.

Novartis, the world's biggest drugmaker by sales, climbed 2.5 percent and Roche Holding AG gained 1.1 percent.

UBS AG added 3.2 percent as Switzerland's biggest bank set aside 1.84 billion Swiss francs ($1.94 billion) for litigation provisions, easing investor concern about the future cost of legal challenges.

Profit Forecast

Standard Chartered Plc dropped 8.7 percent after forecasting a drop in second-half profit.

Sanofi tumbled 7.1 percent as the drugmaker's board considers changing its chief executive officer. Sanofi also reported a 10 percent jump in third-quarter profit.

Amgen Inc. rose 1.6 percent in Germany after the maker of arthritis treatment Enbrel, reported third-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates and raised its 2014 forecast.

Twitter Inc. lost 11 percent in early New York trading after reporting another quarter of decelerating growth.

About 80 percent of S&P 500 companies that have posted quarterly earnings this season have topped analysts' estimates for profit, while 61 percent beat sales projections, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index climbed 0.7 percent as gauges of Chinese shares rallied more than 2 percent after industrial profits increased and President Xi Jinping signaled a nationwide expansion of free-trade zones.

Chinese Stocks

The Shanghai Composite Index halted a five-day losing streak, climbing 2.1 percent. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index of mainland companies listed in Hong Kong surged 2.4 percent, the most in seven weeks. Taiwan's Taiex jumped 1.7 percent.

Data from China's statistics bureau showed profit at industrial companies grew 0.4 percent last month, compared with a 0.6 percent drop in August. Xinhua News Agency cited President Xi as saying that Shanghai's free-trade zone can be replicated in other parts of the country.

The ruble weakened 0.7 percent to 42.5765 per dollar. The currency declined for a fifth day to a record on concern Russia will quicken its move to a free float after more than $20 billion of currency interventions this month failed to halt the depreciation.

Russia's currency has depreciated 17 percent in three months, the world's worst performance. The decline stoked speculation that the central bank will decide to abandon interventions as early as Oct. 31, when policy makers meet to decide on interest rates, according to Sberbank CIB.

Ukraine Coalition

Ukraine bonds gained for an eighth day, sending the yield on 2017 Eurobonds three basis points lower to 13.39 percent.

Pro-European parties, which may have won enough seats during the weekend election to gain a two-thirds constitutional majority, began talks on forging a coalition. Russia said it's considering requests for emergency aid to the two easternmost regions torn by a separatist rebellion.

Sweden's currency dropped at least 0.5 percent against all of its 16 major counterparts following the central bank's decision to cut interest. The Riksbank said it won't raise rates until mid-2016, compared with a September forecast for the end of 2015.

The krona depreciated 0.8 percent to 7.3579 per dollar and touched 7.3598, the weakest level since September 2010. It fell 0.8 percent to 9.3376 per euro.

Europe's 18-nation shared currency was little changed at $1.2688. The yen traded at 107.97 per dollar from 107.82 at yesterday's New York close.

Treasury Sale

Treasuries were little changed, with the two-year notes set for sale today poised to draw the lowest yield in five months. The $29 billion of notes yielded 0.42 percent in pre-auction trading, which would be the lowest level at a sale since May.

Japan sold two-year notes at a record-low yield today after an auction of three-month bills last week drew a negative yield.

Italian government bonds rose for the first time in three days as the nation prepared to sell as much as 4.5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) of debt. The 10-year yield slipped two basis points to 2.53 percent.

Copper rose 0.5 percent to $6,761 a metric ton. China is the biggest buyer of the metal. Nickel jumped 1.8 percent after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said production cuts of substitute nickel pig iron are on the way.

West Texas Intermediate oil was little changed at $80.98 a barrel, after falling to a two-year low of $79.44 a barrel yesterday. U.S. crude stockpiles probably expanded to the highest level since July last week, a Bloomberg News survey showed before a government report tomorrow. Prices have slumped about 25 percent since June. Brent crude slipped 0.2 percent to $85.65 a barrel, a third consecutive decline.

"Sustained lower oil prices should help the global economic recovery regain traction in 2015, especially if central bankers remain accommodative," Gordon Kwan, Nomura Holdings Inc.'s Hong Kong-based head of regional oil and gas research, said in an e-mail.

Soybean meal rallied 5.1 percent to a four-month high as meat prices close to a record spurred demand for animal feed to fatten hogs and chickens. Prices yesterday jumped 7.6 percent, the most since 2007.