European stock futures higher; German factory orders impress By

- European stock markets are Websites to view foreign exchangeexpected to open higher Friday, as investors digest earnings from tech giants Apple (NASDAQ:) and Amazon (NASDAQ:) ahead of the release of the eagerly-awaited U.S. nonfarm payrolls report.

At 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT), the contract in Germany traded 0.6% higher, in France climbed 0.6% and the contract in the U.K. rose 0.2%.

Talk of additional Chinese stimulus helps tone

European stocks look set to start the final day of a volatile week on a positive note, helped by more talk from the Chinese government of additional stimulus measures to boost the second-largest economy in the world, and a major export market for many of Europe’s largest companies.

China’s top economic committees said in a joint statement on Friday that the government will unlock more measures to boost consumer spending and improve local liquidity, but offered no major details.

Crowded economic data slate

However, there are plenty of economic data releases scheduled in Europe this session which could alter this healthy tone.

It will not be that do this though, as they climbed a chunky 7% on the month in June, a much better result than the drop of 2.0% expected.

Investor attention will also be on construction PMI data from the , and , as well as industrial production for , and and eurozone .

However, the day’s highlight will be the release of the official U.S. , which is expected to show payrolls rose 200,000 in July, a small reduction from the 209,000 jobs created the prior month.

Any signs of resilience in the jobs market would likely provide the Federal Reserve with more headroom to keep raising interest rates.

Apple disappoints with declining sales

In Europe, quarterly results are due from the likes of French banking giant (EPA:) and shipping conglomerate AP Moeller-Maersk (CSE:).

That said, a lot of attention will be on Wall Street after Apple, the world's largest company by market capitalization, posted its third straight quarter of declining sales and predicted a similar performance in the current period.

On the flip side, online retail giant Amazon impressed as it reported sales growth and profit that as hefty cost cuts delivered a leaner company.

Crude prices edge higher after further output cuts

Oil prices edged higher Friday, on course for the sixth consecutive week of gains on the back of output cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the world’s largest producers, tightening global supplies.

Saudi Arabia extended on Thursday a voluntary oil production cut of 1 million barrels per day until the end of September, while Russia has also said it will cut its oil exports by 300,000 barrels per day next month.

These cuts came just before a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies later this session, which makes further cuts from the cartel unlikely.

By 02:00 ET, the futures traded 0.3% higher at $81.76 a barrel, while the contract climbed 0.2% to $85.30.

Additionally, rose 0.1% to $1,970.15/oz, while traded 0.1% higher at 1.0958.

Statement: The content of this article does not represent the views of FTI website. The content is for reference only and does not constitute investment suggestions. Investment is risky, so you should be careful in your choice! If it involves content, copyright and other issues, please contact us and we will make adjustments at the first time!