European stock markets rose on Friday, ending three consecutive falls, with Reckitt Benckiser seeing its largest increase in twenty-four years. The increase in non-farm payroll employment in the USA was lower than expected, causing investors to weigh the economic outlook of the USA.

At the close of trading in London, the Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose by 1.1%. Reckitt Benckiser's stock price soared by 12% at one point, marking its largest increase since March 2000, as a jury in the USA ruled the company and Abbott Laboratories innocent in a lawsuit accusing them of concealing potential risks of premature infant formula, which also boosted the personal care sector.

European stock markets recorded the largest monthly decline in a year in October, with a series of lackluster corporate earnings reports sparking concerns about the economic outlook. Other focus points include the US presidential election and the Federal Reserve's meeting next week, where the market will look for clues on interest rate prospects.

Data on Friday showed that the pace of hiring by US companies slowed to the slowest since 2020, but the unemployment rate remained low in a month heavily impacted by severe hurricanes and mass strikes.

"Today's report indicates that there is no risk of an overheated labor market, which may reassure investors: although interest rates may slowly decline, the downward trend is likely to continue," said Richard Flynn, director general of Charles Schwab in the United Kingdom.

In the United Kingdom, bonds continued to decline as selling was triggered by the key budget proposal and additional borrowing plan of the Labor government.

The UK's FTSE 250 Index continued to lag behind after falling by 1.5% on Thursday. Meanwhile, data released on Friday showed that the UK's manufacturing PMI dropped from 51.5 in September to 49.9.

Due to geopolitical risks in the Middle East, Europe's recent upward momentum has receded in the past few weeks. However, investors are also preparing for the possibility of Donald Trump's victory. Since his last victory, European stock markets have underperformed compared to the US stock market, the worst relative performance in the past eight US governments.