European stocks rise after downbeat US payrolls

LONDON: Europe’s main stock markets hung on to small gains  Friday despite disappointing data showing the US economy is not adding many jobs despite an accelerating recovery.
In afternoon deals, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index added 0.38 per cent to 6,583.21 points and Frankfurt’s DAX 30 rose 0.46 per cent to 9,298.82 points.
In Paris, the CAC 40 index gained 0.78 per cent to 4,221.40 points compared with Thursday’s closing levels.
The European single currency rose against the dollar, while dipped against the pound.
Meanwhile: US stocks Friday opened higher despite a US employment report that showed surprisingly weak jobs growth in January.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.36 per cent to 15,684.08.
The broad-based S&P 500 rose 0.58 per cent to 1,783.69, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 0.67 per cent to 4,084.39.
Meanwhile: Asian equities rose on Friday after a strong Wall Street rally Thursday sparked by earlier upbeat figures on the US labour market.
Tokyo stocks rallied 2.17 per cent, Hong Kong rose 1.0 per cent and Sydney won 0.68 per cent.
In foreign exchange, the euro drifted higher after enjoying a rally on Thursday in response to the European Central Bank’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged, despite fears of deflation in the eurozone.
The European single currency rose to $1.3605 Friday, from $1.3591 late in New York  Thursday.
The euro meanwhile eased to 83.11 British pence from 83.25 pence, while the British pound rose to $1.6370 from $1.6323 on Thursday.
The price of gold gained to $1,260 an ounce from $1,256.50 an ounce Thursday.