Europe: Stocks ahead at open

[LONDON] European stocks crept higher at the open on Monday as dealers eyed bumper pre-weekend gains on Wall Street and earlier in Asia.

In initial deals, London's FTSE 100 index won almost 0.1 per cent to 6,797.46 points compared with the close on Friday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 gained 0.5 per cent to 10,419.20 points and the Paris CAC 40 added nearly 0.2 per cent to 4,419.02.

Tokyo led Asia stocks higher Monday, tracking a strong lead from Wall Street where markets had surged in the wake of strong US jobs data.

China was also up despite figures from Customs showing that imports and exports both slumped in July in dollar terms - the latest poor figures from the world's second-largest economy.

Washington reported Friday a big gain in jobs in July and upgraded employment estimates for the prior two months, boosting the odds of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike this year, dealers said.

AFP