European stocks close:

European stocks advanced for a third day as euro-area finance ministers met to discuss insuring a portion of bonds issued by debt-stricken countries and U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly rose in November.

Finance ministers from the 17-member monetary union met in Brussels to debate using their bailout fund, the European (SXXP) Financial Stability Facility, to insure sovereign debt with guarantees. Italian 10-year bonds fell, pushing yields for the benchmark securities toward euro-era records as the country sold 7.5 billion euros ($10 billion) of debt maturing in 2014, 2020 and 2022.

National benchmark indexes rose in 14 of the 18 western- European markets. France’s CAC 40 Index and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index climbed 0.5 percent, while Germany’s DAX Index advanced 1 percent.

BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, climbed 2.1 percent to 50.56 euros after the company raised its sales target for the end of this decade as Chief Executive Officer Kurt Bock laid out his strategy after seven months in charge.

K+S, Europe’s biggest potash supplier, increased 3 percent to 39.46 euros. The company will develop a Canadian mineral deposit that it acquired this year.

G4S Plc, the world’s largest security company, rose 3.2 percent to 246.8 pence after Alex Magni, an analyst at HSBC Holdings Plc upgraded the stock to “overweight” from “neutral.”

Remy Cointreau SA, the maker of Remy Martin cognac, climbed 2.9 percent to 61.90 euros after the company forecast (RCO) “a substantial increase” in full-year earnings. Remy Cointreau also posted first-half current operating profit that jumped 27 percent to 106.2 million euros, topping analysts’ estimates.

Oriflame Cosmetics SA, the Swedish maker of cosmetics, surged 7 percent to 207.70 kronor after Svenska Handelsbanken AB raised the company’s shares to “buy” from “accumulate.”

Colruyt plunged 8 percent to 27.22 euros after reporting a steeper-than-estimated drop in fiscal first-half profit as its expansion in France turned unprofitable because of price cuts and accelerated store openings. The company said its forecast (COLR) for full-year profit close to last year’s 338 million euros “remains a challenge.”

Transocean Ltd., the world’s largest offshore oil driller, slumped 8.7 percent to 39.20 Swiss francs after announcing it will sell shares to help refinance its acquisition of Aker Drilling ASA.