(Adds futures, quote, more company items, updates snapshot table)

LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) - European shares were expected to open higher
on Thursday, after a late rally in the United States on signs that the economic
slump was showing signs of abating.

At 0729 GMT, DJ Euro Stoxx STXEc1 futures were up 1.2 percent, Germany's
DAX futures FDXc1 were up 0.9 percent and France's CAC-40 futures FCEc1 were
up 0.9 percent.

Later in the session, investors will assess first-quarter results from
mobile phone giant Nokia (NOK1V.HE> and U.S. bank JPMorgan (JPM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) as well as
initial jobless numbers and housing data from the United States.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's Beige Book
indicated the economy continued to weaken, but the contraction's speed was
fading. American Express (AXP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) signalled the ability of some consumers to pay
their bills is stabilising.

China's economy slowed in the first quarter to its weakest pace on record,
but an improvement in data for March offered tentative signs that the worst may
be over for the world's third-largest economy. [ID:nPEK237287]

Markets would be buoyed by "a strong finish on Wall Street last night and
suggestions that the Chinese GDP data could have been worse", said Matt
Buckland, CFD dealer at CMC Markets, adding: "Earnings news from JP Morgan
stands to keep the banking sector in focus."

On Wednesday, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares
fell 0.2 percent to close at 788.21 points.

It is down 5.3 percent in 2009, having lost 45 percent in 2008, hammered by
a banking crisis and several major economies going into recession.

----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0625 GMT----------------------

LAST PCT CHG NET CHG

S&P 500 .SPX 852.06 1.25 % 10.56

NIKKEI .N225 8,755.26 0.14 % 12.3

MSCI ASIA EX-JP .MIASJ0000PUS 328.91 0.66 % 2.16

EUR/USD EUR= 1.3204 -0.04 % -0.0005

USD/JPY JPY= 98.95 -0.42 % -0.4200

10-YR US TSY YLD US10YT=RR 2.792 -- 0.02

10-YR BUND YLD EU10YT=RR 3.174 -- 0.02

SPOT GOLD XAU= $891.95 0.15 % $1.35

US CRUDE CLc1 $49.74 0.99 % 0.49

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares pare gains after China GDP [ID:nLG413126]

* US STOCKS-Wall St climbs on signs recession easing [ID:nN15521460]

* TREASURIES-Edge down in Asia as stocks gain [ID:nT226284]

* Yen rebounds after China GDP disappoints [ID:nT242003]

* PRECIOUS-Gold hovers below $890/oz [ID:nSP112625]

* Oil under $50 after 2 pct surge on economic hopes [ID:nSP405814]

* Nikkei trims gains after China GDP disappoints [ID:nT167670]

* Shanghai metals eases from early rise after data [ID:nSHA169628]

COMPANY ITEMS

ROCHE (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research)

First-quarter sales at Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research), the Swiss drugmaker that
recently bought Genentech for $46.8 billion, rose 8 percent due to strong sales
of cancer medicines, in line with forecasts. [ID:nLF588860]

DANONE (DANO.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)

Danone said first-quarter sales fell 2.3 percent to 3.67 billion euros,and
confirmed 2009 earnings targets. [ID:n4077]

NOKIA (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research)

Nokia is expected to report its lowest quarterly earnings in more than seven
years as global demand for cellphones tumbles, a Reuters poll of 32 analysts
showed on Wednesday. On average, Nokia's EPS is expected to sink to 0.06 euro,
its weakest level since the third quarter of 2001 when vendors in total sold
just 94 million phones -- comparable to just Nokia's sales this quarter.
[ID:nL8308467]

EUROPEAN CARS

The European passenger car market fell 17.2 percent in the first quarter of
2009, with passenger car registrations falling 9 percent in March compared with
a year ago, the ACEA car industry association said.

ACEA said on Thursday that passenger car registrations in Europe had fallen
for the eleventh consecutive month. [ID:n4084]

SABMILLER (SAB.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

Brewing giant SABMiller (SAB.L: Quote, Profile, Research) (SABJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research) reported a 1 percent fall in
fourth-quarter worldwide underlying beer volumes as economic conditions
deteriorated and consumer demand fell in most of its markets. [ID:nLF155405]

SAFRAN (SAF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)

French aerospace group Safran posted first-quarter sales up 2.4 percent to
2.487 billion euros on Thursday, as higher defence and security revenues offset
a 4.4 percent decline at its propulsion unit. [ID:nLG494369]

ZURICH FINANCIAL SERVICES (ZURN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research)

American International Group Inc (AIG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is close to a deal to sell its U.S.
auto insurance business to Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services for roughly
$1.5 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

For more, click on [ZURN.VX]

DASSAULT SYSTEMES (DAST.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)

French IT firm Dassault Systemes said on Thursday first-quarter 2009 sales
were up one percent, on a reported basis, at 310 million euros, but were six
percent below target.

[ID:nLG391978]

TOTAL (TOTF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)

The head of French oil major Total is expecting the company's 2009 profits
to be "considerably" lower than those of 2008, French magazine Challenges
reported in its weekly edition. Challenges said it conducted an interview with
Total Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie on March 23.

[ID:n4058].

Total has very good chances of winning contracts in Iraq and talks with the
company are proceeding well, the country's vice-president said on Wednesday.
[ID:nLF420558]

FRANCE TELECOM (FTE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)

Orascom Telecom (ORTE.CA: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that France Telecom had not met
a deadline set by the Egyptian firm to complete a deal for buying its shares in
mobile phone company Mobinil (EMOB.CA: Quote, Profile, Research). [ID:n15518443]

ATOS (ATOS.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)

French IT services group Atos Origin (ATOS.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) kept its 2009 financial goals
on Thursday as it posted a 0.6 percent drop in first quarter underlying sales
amid a tough economic climate. [ID:nLG444011]

UK RETAIL

British like-for-like retail sales fell on the year for the second month
running in March, a survey showed but the figures may be distorted down
by the timing of Easter. The British Retail Consortium said like-for-like sales
fell 1.2 percent in March on the same month a year ago. [ID:nLAG003388]

STMICROELECTRONICS NV (STM.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)

Chip maker STMicroelectronics NV plans to cut its quarterly dividend by
two-thirds, citing the "unstable market." [ID:nN15523022]

THYSSENKRUPP (TKAG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research)

Berthold Beitz, chairman of the Krupp foundation that controls a blocking
minority in ThyssenKrupp, is pushing for a high dividend for the current year to
help fund charitable activities, despite the possibility of a full-year loss,
German business daily Handelsblatt reported.

Related news [TKAG.DE-E]

EXPERIAN (EXPN.L: Quote, Profile, Research)

British financial information firm Experian (EXPN.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said it expects to
deliver higher full-year profit as it reported a 5 percent increase in its
second-half revenues. [ID:nLG716140]

(Reporting by Brian Gorman)