FTSE 100 Gains Ahead Of US Payrolls Data

U.K. stocks edged higher on Friday as weak U.S. economic data spurred bets that the Federal Reserve was done with its rate hikes for the year.

The monthly U.S. jobs report is likely to be in the spotlight today, with economists expecting employment to increase by 180,000 jobs in October after an increase of 336,000 jobs in September. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 3.8 percent.

The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 15 points, or 0.2 percent, at 7,462 after gaining 1.4 percent in the previous session.

Medical products maker Smith+Nephew jumped nearly 4 percent after playing down concerns about weight-loss drugs.

Currys surged 4.4 percent. As part of efforts to simplify its business, the electricals retailer has sold its Greece and Cyprus retail business Kotsovolos to Public Power Corporation S.A. for an enterprise value of 200 million euros ($212.4 million).

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