Knight Capital Group Inc, (NITE: chart), equities trade execution firm, reported Q1 net income soared to $49.1 million, or 47 cents a share, from $5.8 million in the year-ago period on more than a double revenue growth. The company added that its profit was after charges of 5 cents a share related to real estate costs. The company beat analysts’ expectations for earnings of 30 cents a share.

8:15AM European average rallied at mid-day.
European markets gained ground at mid-day dealings, following the best one-day performance on Wall Street Tuesday. Stocks shrugged of rising crude oil prices and posted solid ground on speculations the Fed Reserve will stop raising interest rates. The German DAX 30 climbed 1.4%, the French CAC 40 rose 1.1%, while London FTSE 100 advanced 0.6%.


7:45AM Asian markets closed sharply higher.
Asian-Pacific benchmarks sharply advanced across the region, reflecting a strong U.S. markets rally overnight and speculations that the Fed’s cycle of rate increases was coming to an end. As a result regional technology and property stocks gained strength. Retreating oil prices also provided a boost to the market sentiment. The Nikkei rose 0.7% to 17,350.12, lifted by financial, tech and consumer shares. Among leading gainers, Fujitsu climbed 1.3%, Sony rose 2.1%, and Kyocera surged to 3.1%. South Korea’s Kospi soared 1.3%, boosted by a 2.3% advance for Samsung Electronics and 2% rise in LG Electronics. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1.2% on support from property and energy stocks. Taiwan Weighted index gained 1.1%, Singapore Straits Times rose 0.9%, and Australia’s All Ordinaries was up 0.6%.