* FTSEurofirst 300 rises 0.2 pct; hits 6-1/2-month high
* Index gains for 9th straight day, longest run since 2006
* Financials advance after Credit Suisse results
* For up-to-the-minute market news, click on []
By Atul Prakash
LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) - European shares rose for a ninth
consecutive session to hit a 6-1/2-month high on Thursday, with
reassuring results from Credit Suisse <CSGN.VX> boosting banks
and drugmakers advancing after Roche <ROG.VX> raised guidance.
At 0830 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 <> index of top
European shares was up 0.2 percent at 892.17 points after
touching 894.28 -- the highest level since January and the
longest winning run since late 2006.
Banks were among the top gainers, with the DJ STOXX banking
index <.SX7P> up 1 percent, after Credit Suisse said it made a
net profit of 1.6 billion Swiss francs ($1.50 billion) in the
three months to end-June, against an average forecast of 1.4
billion Swiss francs given in a Reuters poll. []
Credit Suisse was up 4.7 percent, while Standard Chartered
<STAN.L>, HSBC <HSBA.L>, Lloyds <LLOY.L>, Royal Bank of Scotland
<RBS.L> and Societe Generale <SOGN.PA> gained 1.2-2.3 percent.
"Following the darker days of early July, we look set to be
on another road to recovery. With every positive trading
session, confidence levels return day by day, with optimistic
rhetoric being heard from all angles," said Owen Ireland,
analyst at ODL Securities.
"As August approaches, the traditional summer lull does not
appear to be in existence, as markets continue to bound forward
with gusto," he added.
Drugmakers also gained ground after Roche <ROG.VX> gave a
bullish forecast for the next two years following its $47
billion acquisition of Genentech and said it would expand
capacity for H1N1 flu drug Tamiflu. []
Roche was up 3 percent, while Elan Corporation <ELN.I>,
Actelion <ATLN.VX> and Crucell <CRCL.AS> rose 0.4-1.8 percent.
Across Europe, the FTSE 100 index <>, Germany's DAX
<> and France's CAC 40 <> were almost flat.
MINERS GAIN, ABB JUMPS
Miners advanced after slipping in the previous session, with
the DJ STOXX basic resources index <.SXPP> rising 2 percent to a
five-week high.
BHP Billiton <BLT.L>, Anglo American <AAL.L>, Antofagasta
<ANTO.L>, Rio Tinto <RIO.L>, Xstrata <XTA.L> and Eurasian
Natural Resources <ENRC.L> rose 0.8-2.3 percent.
Swiss engineering group ABB <ABBN.VX> jumped 4.4 percent
after it said cost-cutting measures had limited a fall in profit
in the second quarter. But the group remained cautious for the
rest of the year as customers hesitate about spending on
equipment. []
Kingfisher <KGF.L>, Europe's biggest home improvements
retailer, posted better-than-expected second-quarter sales as it
grew market share, boosted by the growing trend for home and
garden DIY and low cost room makeovers. []
Its shares fell 0.6 percent, however, in line with weakness
in other retailers. Morrison <MRW.L>, J. Sainsbury <SBRY.L> and
Tesco <TSCO.L> were down 0.7-1.2 percent.
Porsche's <PSHG_p.DE> board of directors in an all-night
meeting endorsed talks to sell a stake to the Gulf state of
Qatar and to boost its finances with a capital hike of at least
5 billion euros. [] Its shares were up 0.6 percent.
Dutch telecoms group KPN <KPN.AS> fell 3.2 percent after it
lowered its revenue outlook as it saw no signs of an economic
recovery so far. []
(Reporting by Atul Prakash; editing by Simon Jessop)
