Commuters cross Millennium Bridge in view of skyscrapers on the skyline of the City of London, UK, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024.
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European markets are expected to open mixed on Friday, reflecting a tentative start to November as traders react to a flurry of earnings and look ahead to the all-important U.S. jobs report.
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 is poised to open 8 points higher at 8,113, Germany’s DAX 6 points higher at 19,060, France’s CAC up 8 points at 7,342 and Italy’s FTSE MIB down 22 points at 34,008, according to data from IG.
The moves come shortly after European stocks closed lower on Thursday, ending October with its steepest loss for year as investors weighed corporate results, inflation data and a landmark U.K. budget.
Elsewhere, Asia-Pacific markets were mostly lower on Friday as traders reacted to a slew of economic data. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell over 2.6% to extend losses from the previous session when the Bank of Japan held interest rates steady.
U.S. stocks futures were slightly higher on Friday, as traders looked ahead to the October jobs report. It comes after a downbeat session on Thursday, which saw benchmarks Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 dragged lower by post-earnings slumps in Microsoft and Meta.
The U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, which is due at 12:30 p.m. London time, will be released ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election and the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting.