European stocks drop

6 Fevral 2015 17:42 (UTC+04:00)

Europe's main stock markets fell Friday in cautious trade before key US payrolls data and amid ongoing anxiety over Greece, dealers said.

Nearing midday, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index dipped 0.34 percent to 6,842.40 points, with sentiment also hit by news of Britain's widening annual trade deficit.

Elsewhere, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index shed 0.77 percent to 10,821 points and in Paris the CAC 40 reversed 0.45 percent to 4,682.30 compared with Thursday's close.

In foreign exchange activity, the euro declined to $1.1451 from $1.1475 late in New York on Thursday.

The eagerly-awaited January jobs report, due at 1330 GMT, is expected to show the US economy added 235,000 jobs, a slowdown from December, while the unemployment rate held steady at 5.6 percent, according to analysts' forecasts.