UK shares are poised to open a bit firmer on Friday as traders in Europe and across the pond await those all important US job numbers.
The monthly US non-farm payrolls - or the number of new positions created - and their robustness or otherwise, will trigger further debate on when the Fed may raise interest rates.
The consensus forecast is for 215,000 jobs to have been created in July and already some Fed members have publicly indicated that rates should go up next month, with Atlanta chief Dennis Lockhart the most recent in an interview this week.
FTSE100 closed Thursday down five at 6,747 but is called to open around seven points higher as the week draws to a close.
On Wall Street yesterday, shares tumbled, with the Dow dropping 120 points to 17,420 and the Nasdaq dropping 84 to 5,056 as media stocks weighed as well as the fall in the crude price, before attention turned to the jobs number.
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei rose 75 to 20,739, while the Shanghai Composite Index added 69 to 3,731.
In corporate matters, housebuilding giant Bellway (LON:BWY) reports and High Street bookie William Hill (LON:WMH).
Numis analyst Ivor Jones estimates first half earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) will be down 20% to £142mln, and it reckons on a similar profit decline for the full year.