Stock markets diverge before US jobs data

Stock markets diverged Friday, with all eyes on key US jobs data to see if it alters expectations of a cut to US interest rates in June.

Approaching midday, London's FTSE 100 index traded lower.

Paris rose and Frankfurt steadied, one day after the eurozone's leading indices closed at record highs.

Wall Street also reached new all-time peaks Thursday, with global sentiment lifted by strong company earnings and cooler inflation.

Asia's main stock markets rose as they ended a week which has seen record highs also for gold and bitcoin.

The precious metal on Friday hit a new summit at $2,171.13 an ounce.

The outlook for interest rates continued to dominate market focus.

Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell this week told lawmakers that while the battle against inflation was ongoing, the US economy remained resilient and he saw a more dovish tilt to monetary policy coming soon.

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday hinted at cuts to eurozone interest rates also starting in June.

Comments Friday by French central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau firmed such expectations.

The ECB, Fed and other central banks raised rates in efforts to combat inflation, which soared following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Higher borrowing costs, however, risk tipping economies into recession.

The ECB on Thursday predicted that the 20-nation eurozone's economy would turn in weaker growth this year than previously thought after it narrowly dodged recession in the second half of 2023.

Official data Friday showed German industrial production rose for the first time in nearly a year in January, fuelling hopes that a manufacturing slowdown in Europe's biggest economy was bottoming out.

Attention was switching to Friday's US non-farm payrolls figures, which analysts said would have a big bearing on markets.

"Much hinges on (the) US payrolls report for whether intra-week market moves can extend or suffer a smart reversal," said National Australia Bank's Ray Attrill.

  Key figures around 1130 GMT 

 London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,673.00 points

Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.3 percent at 8,041.04

Frankfurt - DAX: FLAT at 17,845.56

EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.2 percent at 4,985.15

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 39,688.94 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.8 percent at 16,353.39 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,046.02 (close)

New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 38,791.35 (close)

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0934 from $1.0951 on Thursday

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.06 yen from 148.07 yen

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2831 from $1.2819

Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.23 pence from 85.46 pence

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $78.60 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $82.64 per barrel