Stocks Creep Higher Ahead of U.S. Jobs Report

Stocks edged higher while the dollar came under pressure Friday as investors looked ahead to a key reading on the U.S. economy.

The July jobs report, due at 8:30 a.m. ET, is closely watched by Federal Reserve officials as they contemplate the course for interest rates. The report is forecast to show 179,000 jobs were added in July, stabilizing between June's blockbuster figure and May's paltry 11,000 jobs.

The Stoxx Europe 600 inched up 0.4% in early trade, led by shares of mining companies.

Shares of Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC fell 4.5% after the U.K. lender posted a wider net loss in the first half of the year.

Trading in Asia was mixed. Shares in Hong Kong advanced 1.3% as U.K.-based financial firms rose in the aftermath of the Bank of England's stimulus announcement on Thursday. Shares in Australia added 0.4%, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.2% and Japan's Nikkei Stock Average was flat.

The dollar was down 0.1% against the yen, euro and pound.

Kenan Machado contributed to this article.

Write to Riva Gold at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 05, 2016 04:05 ET (08:05 GMT)

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