By Adria Cimino Aug. 14 (Bloomberg) -- European stock-index futures advanced before reports that may show industrial production and consumer sentiment rose in the U.S. Asian shares climbed, while U.S. index futures were little changed. KBC Group NV, the recipient of 7 billion euros ($10 billion) in Belgian bank-rescue funds, may gain after JPMorgan Chase & Co. recommended the shares. Rio Tinto Group climbed in Asia as copper headed for a fifth weekly increase. ThyssenKrupp AG, Germany’s largest steelmaker, may drop after posting a wider loss than analysts estimated. Futures on the Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50 Index, a benchmark for the euro region, added 0.2 to 2,709 at 7:01 a.m. in London. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index may increase 15, according to Cantor Index, a betting firm. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 0.4 percent to the highest level since September. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures slipped 0.1 percent today, suggesting the benchmark gauge for U.S. equities may fall for the first time in three days. U.S. stocks gained yesterday after investor John Paulson’s hedge fund bought stakes in banks and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported better-than-estimated earnings, overshadowing an unexpected slump in retail sales. Europe’s Stoxx 600 has rallied 46 percent since March 9 as companies from GlaxoSmithKline Plc to Intel Corp. reported better-than-estimated results, the U.S. unemployment rate fell and the French and German economies unexpectedly expanded. The gauge is little changed this week. Industrial Production U.S. industrial production probably rose for the first time in nine months after mid-year retooling at automakers and as a federal “cash-for-clunkers” program spurred demand for cars, economists said before reports today. Output at manufacturers, mines and utilities climbed 0.4 percent, erasing the previous month’s decline, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey before today’s report from the Federal Reserve. Other data may show the cost of living was unchanged in July while consumer confidence rose this month. KBC may advance. The bank was raised to “overweight” from “underweight” at JPMorgan. Rio Tinto, the world’s third-largest mining company, climbed 1.6 percent in Australia. Copper traded near a 10-month high in London and is poised for its longest string of weekly gains since April. ThyssenKrupp may decline. The steelmaker posted a third- quarter net loss of 639 million euros ($911.9 million), more than the 464 million-euro loss estimated by analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Omega and Breguet Swatch Group AG may rise. The world’s largest watchmaker reported a 28 percent decline to 299 million Swiss francs ($279 million) in first-half profit after consumers cut spending on Omega and Breguet timepieces. That beat the 259 million-franc median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. Hochtief AG’s second-quarter net income fell 6.6 percent to 43.9 million euros as new orders dropped to 5.72 billion euros. The German builder confirmed its forecast for the full year of a drop in new orders, sales and order backlog as well as pretax profit and net income at the previous year’s level. Hochtief also said is considering an initial public offering for its concessions unit, though it hasn’t yet made a decision. To contact the reporter on this story: Adria Cimino in Paris at acimino1@bloomberg.net.

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