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| - European equities wobbled Thursday after the previous day's recovery-driven gains, as investors eyed both an interest rate call and local elections in Britain. London stocks firmed in late morning deals before a monetary policy decision from the Bank of England at 1100 GMT. Frankfurt and Paris both dipped by 0.1 percent in early afternoon eurozone deals. "Gains are harder to come by today ... as investors digest a slew of corporate earnings, upbeat data and look ahead to the Bank of England rate announcement," said OANDA analyst Sophie Griffiths. Airline giant Air France-KLM posted more first-quarter losses as Covid slams aviation demand, sending shares down 1.8 percent to 4.48 euros in Paris. The BoE is set to hike its economic growth forecasts, as the UK gradually exits lockdown restrictions thanks to the country's vaccines rollout. The British central bank is also expected to leave its key interest rate at a record-low 0.1 percent and maintain its stimulus programme pumping vast sums around the economy. The pound held steady as voters headed to the polls in key local elections in Britain -- and also notably in Scotland. Polls suggest the pro-independence Scottish National Party, led by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, could fall just short of an overall majority of 65 seats in the devolved parliament in Edinburgh. A majority could pave the way for Sturgeon to seek a new independence referendum when the pandemic subsides. "The main focus (is) on sterling today as local and regional elections get under way across the country, with a lot of attention set to be on the Scottish vote," noted CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson. Global equities had rebounded Wednesday as investors focused on bright earnings and data pointing to an economic recovery. "Following Wednesday's super-surge, the European markets entered Thursday's trading at a light jog," said Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell. Asian bourses mostly rose after a strong US jobs report reinforced hopes that the world's top economy is in recovery mode. US private firms added 742,000 jobs in April, payrolls firm ADP said Wednesday, marking a fourth straight monthly gain, with much of them in the crucial services sector, which was hardest hit by virus lockdowns and other restrictions last year. The reading, while slightly short of forecasts, confirmed that the battle against unemployment is being won, and analysts said the improvement was expected to continue as the reopening continues. It also bodes well for Friday's closely watched government data, which provides a snapshot of the state of the economy. London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,045.19 points Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.1 percent at 15,155.52 Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 6,332.16 EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,990.82 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.8 percent at 29,391.19 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.8 percent at 28,637.46 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,441.28 (close) New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 34,230.34 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.2038 from $1.2005 at 2100 GMT Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3901 from $1.3905 Euro/pound: UP at 86.58 pence from 86.33 pence Dollar/yen: UP at 109.22 yen from 109.21 yen Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $68.77 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $65.37 per barrel burs-rfj/bcp/cdw
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