The European markets rose for the sixth day on Friday, as a report showed U.S. employers cut fewer jobs last month than forecast and Greece's chances of solving its debt crisis brightened with the sale of a bond issue that attracted heavy demand.
The U.S. Labor Department said in its report that non-farm payroll employment fell by 36,000 jobs in February following a revised decrease of 26,000 jobs in January. Economists had expected a more substantial loss of about 68,000 jobs compared to the loss of 20,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
Greece won't be left alone in its battle to bring down huge budget deficit, Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday. But, he cleared that there won't be any bailout for the country. Talking to Deutschlandfunk radio, Juncker said Greece must get out of its debt-related issues on its own and the country is currently doing what is needed.
Crude for April delivery rose $1.34 to $81.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, by the time the European markets closed.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of pan-European blue chips closed 1.75% higher at 1,054.55 points, its biggest daily gain in three months, while the narrower DJ Stoxx 50 index rose 1.71% to 2,576.68 points.
Around Europe, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 index rose 1.31% to 5,599.76, while France's CAC 40 index climbed 2.14% to 3,910.42 and Germany's DAX index surged up 1.42% to 5,877.36.
Economy sensitive banking stocks were among the top gainers. HSBC, Europe's largest bank, and Deutsche Bank, Germany's biggest lender, both rose 2.5%, while BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, surged up 3.7%. Allied Irish Banks jumped 20.2%.
Mining stocks rallied on firmer metals prices. BHP Billiton, the world's biggest miner, climbed 3.8%, while Anglo American, the second biggest, surged up 2.9% and Rio Tinto, the third biggest, rose 2.7%. Copper miner Antofagasta gained 3.8%.
Similarly, heavily weighted oil stocks edged higher after crude oil prices advanced. BP, Europe's biggest oil company, surged up 0.9%, while Royal/Dutch Shell, the second biggest, rose 0.5% and Total, the third biggest, climbed 2.1%.
Volkswagen, Europe's largest automaker, gained 3.3% after Citigroup upgraded the stock to "buy" from "hold."
On the other hand, Veolia, the world's biggest water company, slipped 4.3% after the company reported reported full year profit that missed analysts' estimate.
Michael Page International, Britain's second largest recruitment firm, fell 2.5% after the company reported an 87% drop in full year profit.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
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.