Sentiment underpinned by weaker crude oil price below $126.00 level. Financials are leading the charge higher on bargain-hunting, with HBOS higher on unconfirmed market talk that Spains Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) is looking to buy UK HBOS. Vodafone is another notable ainer after it announced a surprise Stg1bn share buyback and KPN rose after raising its outlook for the full-year on the back of better-than-expected Q2 earnings. European car makers are also higher after better than expected earning results from Volkswagen, Peugeot, Fiat and Volvo. CAC-40 is up 61pts, Xetra-DAX is up 70pts, FTSE-100 is up 76pts.