European stock markets climbed Friday, tracking gains for U.S. equity futures with investors cheered by news of talks between top trade negotiators in the Washington and Beijing. That's as investors wait for a grim U.S. jobs report later.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index climbed 0.7% to 340.25, while the German DAX rose 1.1% and the French CAC 40 gained 0.8%. London markets are closed for a holiday. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He was invited to speak with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Friday morning Beijing time, and the two promised to create favorable conditions for a phase one trade deal, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Shares of ING Groep NV rose nearly 7% after the Dutch bank despite a slump in profits as it set aside more provisions to cope with pandemic. Investors are waiting on April U.S. nonfarm payrolls, which is expected to show the economy lost more 20 million jobs.

Source : Marketwatch