European Stocks Advance on Bank Earnings, Chinese Data

European stocks rose to a nine-week high as banks rallied on better-than-forecast profit at Societe Generale SA and Lloyds Banking Group Plc while Chinese manufacturing data boosted mining companies.

Societe Generale climbed the most in 18 months. Lloyds rose to its highest price since October 2010 as it returned to half-yearly profit and said it will start talks with regulators to resume dividend payments. Rio Tinto Group and BHP Billiton Ltd. each added more than 2 percent. Sanofi slid 4.1 percent after cutting its 2013 profit outlook. Royal Dutch Shell Plc retreated the most since August 2011 as profit unexpectedly fell.