Shares in Swiss luxury goods group Richemont and watchmaker Swatch Group rose over 2 percent, outperforming the sector, after Deutsche Bank hiked its price targets for the two groups.
French retailer PPR, which owns luxury brand Gucci, is expected to report a 6 percent drop in third-quarter sales due to a weak trading environment and tough comparable figures from last year.
The global market for luxury goods will shrink by 8 percent this year, according to Bain & Co, and grow just 1 percent next year, but the impact of the global recession has not been as severe as expected six months ago and currency appreciation has boosted Asian purchasing power.
Zimbabwe should honour investment agreements to attract fresh capital and retain investors who have continued to operate in the country, Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd (Implats) chief executive David Brown said.
Mothercare, the mother and baby products retailer, posted a slight slowdown in second-quarter sales growth, in line with expectations, and said it was stepping up expansion in China.
Shares in Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, rise 3.7 percent after the chairman of China-focused luxury watch retailer Xinyu Hengdeli was quoted as saying revenue in the first week of October was likely to have risen by more than 50 percent.
Cosmetics and perfume-dispenser maker AptarGroup Inc posted a 16 percent fall in quarterly profit, hurt by lower income across its operating segments, and forecast fourth-quarter earnings in line with analysts' view.
Footwear retailer DSW Inc raised its full-year earnings outlook, citing higher-than-expected sales, margin expansion and better cost management so far in the third quarter.
Esprit Holdings, the world's No. 6 fashion retailer by market value, is considering buying the remaining stake in a China joint venture from partner China Resources Enterprise, Esprit's chairman said.
Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (HMb.ST) posted worse-than-expected sales in September as the economic downturn and warm weather kept consumers out of the shops.
Artemis, the holding company owned by French billionaire Francois Pinault, said it had launched a 300 million euro ($447 million) bond convertible into existing shares in public works group Vinci.
Luxury goods group Burberry beat second-quarter revenue forecasts, helped by demand for handbags, leather goods and snoods, adding to signs of a consumer recovery and lifting its shares to a 21-month high.
Johnson & Johnson posted weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue as sales of prescription drugs and cardiac stents disappointed, sending its shares down more than 2 percent
Mining group Xstrata has told a top-10 shareholder that it would likely abandon its pursuit of rival Anglo American, the investor said.
Some large Indian jewellers and traders have started selling imported gold and silver coins, ahead of big festivals, raising competition for banks in a fast expanding investment segment, industry players said.