Europe stocks rise on eve of US payrolls; gold shines ========== European equities rose on the eve of key U.S. data, while gold set another record peak on haven demand and hopes of interest-rate cuts. Frankfurt, London, and Paris stocks ticked higher. Gold struck another record peak at $2,304.96 per ounce in Asia. Oil sat near five-month peaks with Brent close to $90 per barrel. All eyes will now be on Friday's upcoming non-farm payrolls report, a key indicator for the world's biggest economy. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.4 percent at 7,972.59 points. Paris' CAC 40 was up 0.1 percent at 8,159.13. Frankfurt's DAX was up 0.1 percent at 18,377.27. The Euro STOXX 50 was up 0.1 percent at 5,076.18. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was up 0.8 percent at 39,773.14. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and Shanghai's Composite were closed for holidays. New York's Dow was down 0.1 percent at 39,127.14. The dollar/yen exchange rate was up at 151.75 yen. The euro/dollar exchange rate was unchanged at $1.0857. The pound/dollar exchange rate was down at $1.2657. The euro/pound exchange rate was up at 85.77 pence. Brent North Sea Crude was down 0.1 percent at $89.30 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate was down 0.1 percent at $85.36 per barrel. #EuropeStocks #UsPayrolls #Gold #InterestrateCuts http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/304389