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Positive US jobs data, crude prices boost EU markets

European blue chips traded in positive territory on Friday as shares edged higher on Wall Street on positive jobs data, with climbing crude oil prices also boosting heavyweight oil shares in London and Paris.

In London the FTSE 100 index added 0.83 percent to close at 6,690.10 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 rose by 0.71 percent to finish at 6,102.69 and in Frankfurt the DAX gained 0.77 percent to end the day at 8,048.32 points.

The DJ Euro STOXX 50 index of leading eurozone shares won 0.66 percent to 4,521.62 points.

The euro stood at US$1.3630.

Wall Street shares edged higher on Friday as a government report revealed that US job growth accelerated last month and that hiring was more robust in April and May than initial forecasts had suggested.

Japanese share prices snapped a six-day winning streak however as investors pocketed gains ahead of the US jobs data, dealers said.

In London, meanwhile, the price of Brent North Sea crude oil climbed past US$76 per barrel, heading toward its record high above US$78 amid unrest in Nigeria and concerns over tight US gasoline supplies.

Brent North Sea crude for August delivery touched US$76.01 per barrel, a level last reached on Aug. 11 last year.

High oil prices bite into corporate profits and raise investor concerns that increased costs may hamper global economic growth, but traditionally the energy sector gets a boost.

In London, Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell saw its "A" shares jump 2.46 percent to £21.67, while peer BP added 1.08 percent to £6.1050.

In Paris, shares in French oil and gas group Total leapt 2.71 percent to 61.86 euros.

Shares in car maker Peugeot soared by 5.84 percent to 65.03 euros on an explosion in sales of its Peugeot 207.

The European mining sector also won big gains amid expectations global economic growth will continue to sustain demand for commodities.

Elsewhere in Europe, the IBEX 35 in Madrid rose 1.01 percent to 15.058,3 points, the AEX in Amsterdam gained 0.76 percent to 555 points while in Brussels the BEL 20 gained 0.33 percent to 4,655.56 points.
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