European shares retreat ahead of US jobs data

European shares retreated on Friday after strong gains in the previous session, with investors focusing on a widely-watched US jobs report for hints about the timing of an expected interest rate hike in the United States. Energy shares were the top sectoral decliners, with the STOXX Europe 600 Oil and Gas index falling 2 per cent, tracking a sharp decline in crude oil prices. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was down 1.2 per cent at 1,412.41 points by 0706 GMT, after surging 2.4 per cent in the previous day as the European Central Bank delivered a dovish message from its first meeting after weeks of market turmoil, according to Reuters.

-Shuvo-