European markets open at the close. key US jobs report, earnings in focus

LONDON — European markets are bracing for a fractionally higher open Friday as investors monitor corporate earnings and await a key U.S. jobs report.

Britain’s FTSE 100 looks about 11 points higher at 7,459, Germany’s DAX is expected to gain about 12 points to 13,675 and France’s CAC 40 is expected to rise about 10 points to 6,523.

Markets had a cautious week as investors reacted to a series of corporate earnings. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed the previous session fractionally above the flat line.

The Bank of England on Thursday raised interest rates by 50 basis points while forecasting UK inflation to peak above 13% in October and the economy to enter a prolonged recession in the fourth quarter.

Friday’s US jobs report, due at 1:30 p.m. London time, will likely provide clues on the path of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy tightening and the state of the US economy.

Economists expect 258,000 jobs were added in July, up from 372,000 in June, according to Dow Jones. Unemployment is expected to remain stable at 3.6%.

State stock futures were cautiously higher in early premarket trade as Wall Street tries to pare modest gains for the week.

Asia-Pacific shares were mostly higher overnight, with Taiwan stocks leading gains in the region as investors shrugged off China’s military exercises after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

Earnings continue to drive the price movement of individual stocks in Europe. Allianz, London Stock Exchange Group and WPP were among the companies that filed before the bell on Friday.

On the data front, French industrial production, trade and current account data for June are due on Friday morning.

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