European stocks fall ahead of US data

European stocks fell with oil as traders awaited US jobs data for clues on the health of the world’s biggest economy.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index slipped 0.3 per cent at 8.32am in London on Friday, with energy shares sliding to their lowest since November. Europe's equity gauge is near an 11-week low and is heading for a fifth week without gains.

Data on Friday will show US employment increased at a faster pace in June, while the jobless rate held at a 16-year low, economists forecast.

The Stoxx 600 fell on Thursday following a bond rout that sent the yield on Germany’s benchmark debt to a 17-month high.

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Among shares active on Friday, Centrica rallied 4.1 per cent after a report the UK utility has attracted the interest of a few bidders. Carrefour lost 4.6 per cent after the retailer reduced prices in France to protect market share, a move analysts said will put pressure on profitability.

EasyJet gained 3.2 per cent after Credit Suisse Group recommended buying the shares.

- Bloomberg