Brussels, January 06 (QNA) – European shares were poised for their best week in eight, even though the benchmark index struggled for momentum on Friday as investors awaited euro zone inflation and US jobs figures for more clues on the pace of future interest rate hikes.
The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) was flat by 0915 GMT. For the week so far, it was up 3.4 percent following a drop in natural gas prices and upbeat economic data.
In focus is the US non-farm payrolls report after private payrolls data on Thursday showed a bigger-than-expected rise in employment and a drop in jobless claims, underscoring a tight labor market and rekindling fears of further tightening by the Federal Reserve.
On the other hand, the index of leading UK companies fell on the news of yet another base rate increase but recovered strongly to finish the year above 7,400.
It was also a quieter month for trading on the London Stock Exchange, with 3.8 billion of shares changing hands on average every day, down from 4.0 billion in November. (QNA)