* FTSEurofirst 300 index up 0.9 pct, bounces from 7-week low
* Recently-hammered banks regain ground
* Energy stocks up as crude oil futures edge higher
By Joanne Frearson
LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - European shares rose early on
Friday, bouncing back after their worst sell-off in a year, led
by the banking sector as investors await U.S. GDP numbers to
gauge the health of the global economy.
By 0902 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 <>
index of top shares was up 0.9 percent at 1,010.73 points after
hitting their lowest close in seven weeks on Thursday.
"Even though today we may see some sort of bounce, I think
the problems are still haunting us," said Philippe Gijsels,
senior equity strategist at Fortis Bank.
"We still have the situation with Greece and the problem is
shifting to Portugal. Obama is also introducing a lot of anxiety
... though Bernanke was reappointed which has lifted some of the
uncertainty."
Overnight the U.S. Senate backed Ben Bernanke for a second
four-year term running the Federal Reserve. []
Banks featured among the biggest gainers on Friday. HSBC
<HSBA.L>, Banco Santander <SAN.MC>, Standard Chartered <STAN.L>
and Societe Generale <SOGN.PA> rose 1.3 to 1.7 percent.
Energy stocks gained as crude <CLc1> rose 0.2 percent, with
BG Group <BG.L>, BP <BP.L>, Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L> and Total
<TOTF.PA> up 0.4 to 1.4 percent.
Miners were in demand as investors became more confident
about a global recovery. Anglo American <AAL.L>, Antofagasta
<ANTO.L>, BHP Billiton <BLT.L>, Rio Tinto <RIO.L> and Xstrata
<XTA.L> were up 0.8 percent to 1.9 percent.
HENKEL SHINES
Looking at individual stocks, German consumer goods maker
Henkel <HNKG_p.DE> rose 3.1 percent after it said late Thursday
it expects this year's earnings to rise, taking heart from a
stronger then expected finish to 2009. []
BMW <BMWG.DE>, the world's biggest premium automaker, was up
2.7 percent after forecasting that car sales would rise in 2010
despite the lingering impact of the global economic crisis.
[]
On the downside, shares in Finmeccanica <SIFI.MI> fell 3.3
percent after the Italian aerospace company revised its 2009 and
2010 guidance. []
At 1330 GMT, investors will watch U.S. fourth-quarter GDP
figures. A Reuters survey predicted that U.S. GDP expanded at a
4.6 percent annual rate, up from 2.2 percent in the third
quarter.
Before that, investors will likely focus on euro zone
inflation and unemployment figures due out at 1000 GMT.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index is down around 3.5 percent this
year after surging 26 percent in 2009.
Across Europe, the FTSE 100 <> index gained 0.8 percent
on Friday, Germany's DAX <> rose 1.1 percent and France's
CAC 40 <> was 1 percent higher.
(Reporting by Joanne Frearson; Editing by Mike Nesbit)
