BUZZ-Merlin Entertainments: Shares on track for best day ever

** Madame Tussauds operator Merlin Entertainments (Frankfurt: A1W713 - news) shares rise as much as 12.8 pct, their highest intraday pct gain on record

** Stock among top gainers on FTSE 250

** Co posts 9.5 percent rise in 2017 core earnings, benefitting from an increase in global visitors.

** Records 66 million worldwide visitors in 2017, up 3.5 percent

** Merlin, which also runs Legoland, the London Eye and Sea Life, adds it "highly confident" of the long-term prospects for its business

** Brokerage Peel Hunt sees more evidence of increased capex driving the business in second half; London tourism may be growing more robustly, it says

** Results were broadly in line, with strong result in Legoland Parks offsetting continued weakness in Midway and Resort Theme Parks - Liberum

** Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) in Merlin fell ~40 pct in the past 12 months