On Friday European stocks rose for a fourth day, extending a six-month high, as investors awaited a report that may show U.S. employers increased payrolls last month. U.S. index futures advanced, while Asian shares fell.

Temenos Group AG rallied 8.7 percent after Misys Plc the British maker of software for banks, said it has held talks about a merger with the Swiss company. Admiral Group Plc surged 8.1 percent, the shares’ biggest rally in three years.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.6 percent to 261.61 at 11:09 a.m. in London, extending its highest level since the 1st August. The benchmark measure is headed for a 2.4 percent advance this week.

A report from the Institute for Supply Management due at 10 a.m. New York time may show that the non-manufacturing part of the U.S. economy expanded at its fastest pace since August, according to a separate survey of economists.

The finance ministers of the four AAA-rated countries using the euro — Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Finland — meet in Berlin during the day.

European stocks extended gains after a report showed that services industries in the U.K. unexpectedly increased last month. The measure of activity rose to 56 in January from 54 in December, according to a statement from Markit Economics and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. That beat the average economist estimate for a reading of 53.3.

Japanese stocks declined, with the Topix Index snapping a streak of five weekly advances, after companies including Nippon Sheet Glass Co. and Oji Paper Co. cut profit forecasts on slumping demand from Europe. The Topix, Japan’s broadest equity gauge, lost 0.2 percent. For the week, the gauge declined 0.1 percent, the first drop since the period ended 23 December. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.5 percent.