European stocks advanced

European stocks advanced as Americans prepared to go to the polls to elect their president. Asian shares and U.S. futures fluctuated between gains and losses.

The Bank of England and the ECB are both due to keep their key interest rates unchanged at meetings on Nov. 8, according to surveys of economists. China’s President Hu Jintao is due to hand over the Communist Party leadership to Vice President Xi Jinping at a congress that begins the same day.

The G-20 finance chiefs diluted budget-cutting commitments out of concern that a rush of U.S.-led austerity would choke fragile global growth. Finance ministers and central bankers vowed to ensure the “pace of fiscal consolidation is appropriate to support recovery.”

ARM Holdings Plc increased 5.2 percent as Apple Inc. was said to consider ways to replace Intel Corp. processors in its personal computers.

Adecco SA climbed 2.9 percent as the world’s biggest supplier of temporary workers reported earnings that exceeded estimates.

Volkswagen AG dropped 3.6 percent as the carmaker announced the sale of as much as 2.5 billion euros ($3.2 billion) of convertible bonds.

FTSE 100 5,870.65 +31.59 +0.54%

CAC 40 3,474.76 +26.26 +0.76%

DAX 7,379.49 +53.02 +0.72%