European shares looked set to start trading higher on Friday tracking gains in U.S. and Asian markets, although crude oil prices clawed back toward $125 a barrel.
Financial spreadbetters in London expect Britain's FTSE 100 to open 6 to 8 points higher; Germany's DAX to open up 29 to 39 points and France's CAC-40 to open 23 to 30 points higher.
European technology shares may benefit from a rally in U.S. tech stocks overnight helped by a battle to control Yahoo and by gains in chip maker Intel after Lehman Brothers raised its price target on the stock, citing strength in notebooks and servers.
U.S. crude for June delivery rose 71 cents to $124.83 a barrel in the Asian session, still below Tuesday's all-time peak of $126.98.
A pull-back in oil prices earlier had lifted U.S. and Asian stocks, easing concern about inflation.