Stock markets push higher ahead of US jobless figures

Stock markets and the price of oil pushed higher on Thursday ahead of the latest weekly jobless claims figures in the US and after China reported a rise in exports as its pandemic lockdown eased.

As more countries start to remove the draconian limits on business and public life, investors are trying to gauge how quickly the global economy might bounce back.

The labour market in the United States has been a focal point. On Thursday, government data will likely show that about 3.5 million people sought jobless aid last week, bringing the total to nearly 34 million since the shutdowns began seven weeks ago.

On Friday, a monthly report is expected to show that the unemployment rate jumped to at least 16% in April - from just 4.4% in March.

Wall Street futures were up ahead of the start to trading, with Dow futures up 1.3% and those for the S&P 500 up 1.4%.

In Europe, France's CAC 40 gained 0.8% to 4,470. Germany's DAX also added 0.8%, to 10,692, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.7% to ..