European stocks flat ahead of U.S. payrolls

European stocks opened flat on Friday after two sessions of gains, as the effect of this week's upbeat signals on U.S.-China trade talks and European politics wore off, with investors' attention turning to U.S. jobs data due later in the day.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was roughly unchanged at 0715 GMT after starting marginally lower, with the exporter-heavy FTSE 100 lagging the broader market as London-listed miners fell.

Thyssenkrupp AG was the biggest gainer on Germany's DAX index with a 1.3% gain after Finland's Kone  said it and a private equity partner would bid for the conglomerate's elevator business.

The DAX rose 0.3%, shrugging off data showing an unexpected fall in industrial output in July.