The UK market is in positive territory after opening lower on Friday, ahead of the key monthly jobs report from the U.S. Major markets across Asia/Pacific ended mixed while the U.S. index futures are higher.
The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks is adding 0.52 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, is rising 0.45 percent.
After a weak start, the FTSE 100 index is currently adding 0.47 percent.
BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are losing 1.6 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.
Admiral Group is climbing over 8 percent. Man Group is gaining 3 percent.
BT Group is gaining 3.6 percent. The internet service provider reported an increase in profit for the third quarter, adding that it expects to achieve its EBITDA target of above 6 billion pounds set for 2013 a year earlier than planned.
Lender Barclays is climbing 1.6 percent and Royal Bank of Scotland is rising 1.7 percent.
Financial software provider Misys is losing 0.8 percent after confirming that it is in preliminary discussions with Temenos Group regarding a possible strategic combination.
Elsewhere in Europe, the German DAX is gaining 0.35 percent and the French CAC 40 is adding 0.46 percent. Switzerland's SMI is gaining 0.41 percent.
In economic news, Germany's private sector output expanded in January at the fastest pace since June 2011, but the increase was slightly weaker than the flash estimate, final data from Markit Economics showed.
Eurozone retail sales fell 0.4 percent in December from the prior month, Eurostat reported Friday. Economists were expecting turnover to expand 0.3 percent.
Meanwhile, activity in the French service sector increased more than previously estimated in January, final data from a survey by Markit Economics revealed.
A report from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said the British economy is likely to return to technical recession in the first half of this year.
Across Asia/Pacific, major markets had a mixed outing. Australia's All Ordinaries lost 0.30 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225 retreated 0.51 percent. However, China's Shanghai Composite Index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.77 percent and 0.08 percent, respectively.
In the U.S., futures point to a higher open on Wall Street. In the previous session, the major averages closed on opposite sides of the unchanged line, with the Dow posting a modest loss of 0.1 percent. The Nasdaq rose 0.4 percent and the S&P 500 inched up 0.1 percent.
In the commodity space, crude for March delivery is rising $0.61 to $96.97 per barrel, while April gold is advancing $3.2 to $1762.5 a troy ounce.
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Market Analysis
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.