stocks Hyatt Hotels Corp

Oct 10- U.S. tax preparer H&R Block Inc said it is exploring strategic alternatives for H&R Block Bank, which could result in the company no longer being regulated by the Federal Reserve as a savings and loan holding company. H&R Block said it does not expect any material impact on its earnings for fiscal 2013..

The FTSE Small Caps index is down 0.3 percent around midday, just outperforming slightly bigger declines by the blue chips and the mid caps, both 0.4 percent lower.

LONDON, Oct 10- Talks on a $45 billion merger of EADS and BAE Systems collapsed on Wednesday when the governments of France, Germany and Britain failed to reach agreement over a deal to create the world's largest aerospace and arms group.

LONDON, Oct 10- EADS and BAE Systems.

The put/call ratio of Euro STOXX 50 options climbs to a two-week high just below 2, signalling a rise in investors' appetite for protection, as stocks continue to drift lower on the back of worries over global growth and corporate results.

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 10- South African black empowerment group Batho Bonke Capital plans to sell 24.7 million shares in Absa Group, a director for the consortium said on Wednesday. Absa is the South African bank majority owned by Barclays.

*FTSE 100 down 0.4 percent. *US metals firm Alcoa starts earnings on downbeat note. *Smith& Nephew falls on earnings worries.

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 10- South African black empowerment group Batho Bonke Capital plans to sell 24.7 million shares in South African bank Absa Group, a director for the consortium said on Wednesday. The stake would be equivalent to roughly 3.4 percent of Absa's outstanding shares. Shares of Absa were down 2.6 percent at 134.85 rand.

MUMBAI, Oct 10- Shares in India's biggest property developer DLF Ltd slumped on Wednesday, a day after an anti-graft activist alleged that the company received undue favours from the government in the northern state of Haryana.

Credit Suisse recommends investing in global small and mid capitalisation European companies, saying that cheap valuations support a bullish outlook despite the headwind of regional outlook concerns. "European small caps have not performed as strongly as expected in 2012," Credit Suisse analysts say in a note.

MUMBAI, Oct 10- Indian shares provisionally ended lower on Wednesday led by a fall in banking stocks including ICICI Bank. ICICI Bank fell 0.95 percent while State Bank of India. Ahead of corporate earnings on Friday, Infosys.

AMSTERDAM/ BRUSSELS, Oct 10- EU antitrust regulators will next week tell United Parcel Service Inc that its bid for TNT Express is anti-competitive, a person close to the matter said on Wednesday, ratcheting up pressure on the U.S. company to offer concessions.

LONDON, Oct 10- European shares extended earlier losses on Wednesday, after a rise in the one-year bond yields of Italy highlighted persistent worries over the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis.

STOCKS NEWS Reuters Results diary Stocks on the move Real-time Equity News 0913 GMT 10 Oct12- FirstRand extends gains on Credit Suisse upgrade------------------------------------------------------------------.

The independent academic Anuparp Thiralarp told reporters that he sought for a review by telecoms regulator National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to improve regulations for the benefit of consumers, with the court ruling due on Thursday.

Shares in Avanti Communications Group shed as much as 17 percent after the British satellite operator's full-year revenue falls short of market expectations.

Defensive stocks are a relatively attractive proposition, given uncertainty in the U.S. and rising oil prices which threaten the global growth outlook, an analyst for Shore Capital says in a note.

Shares in advertising agency Publicis fall 2.9 percent, reversing a portion of recent lofty gains, as traders cite a downbeat research note on the company from Exane analysts. "Third-quarter organic growth might not be as strong as expected...

The FTSE Small Caps index loses 0.2 percent in early trade, tracking similar falls by the FTSE 100 index, also down 0.2 percent, with the FTSE 250 index off 0.3 percent.