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By 08:03 BST the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 was 0.4 per cent higher on 1,021.51 points, Reuters reports, with energy stocks among the strongest performers.
BP added four per cent on the news is has made headway in its attempt to plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, placing a cap on the leaking well after its 'top kill' attempt failed earlier in the week.
Investors are now awaiting the release of monthly jobs statistics in the US, which the news agency says is expected to reveal the largest monthly gain since September 1983, with 513,000 positions taken during June.
Christian Jimenez of Paris firm Diamant Bleu Gestion was quoted as saying positive data will "support stocks on both sides of the Atlantic".
In London, the FTSE 100 was up 0.92 per cent at 08:50 BST, with ARM Holdings, Aviva and BP the three leading companies.
Posted by Greg Secker
