European stocks mixed ahead of key U.S. jobs report

European markets were relatively quiet on Friday morning ahead of the release of the U.S. November jobs report. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index remained steady, with mining stocks dropping 0.6% and oil and gas rising 0.5%. On Thursday, the European blue chip index closed 0.3% lower, erasing the gains made in the previous session. Market focus will shift to the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, which will provide insight into future interest rate decisions by the Federal Reserve. U.S. stock futures were unchanged in early premarket trade, while Asian markets were mixed. European data releases for the day include final German inflation figures for November.