Commodity price gains from copper to corn help the FTSE 100 kick off on the front foot as the blue chip index moves close to erasing losses in the week-to-date.
London's leading stocks gain 0.9% to 6,241 with oil stocks leading the way.
Brent and West Texas Intermediate, key benchmarks for crude oil, are trading slightly higher at $50.12 (£34.74) and $49.20, respectively.
Natural gas, gold, copper and corn are also modestly higher.
US employment numbers will be in focus later in the day as the country's monthly non-farm payrolls report is scheduled to be released at 1.30pm BST. Analysts expect a number of around 160,000, the same result as in April.
Tullow Oil (TLW) is the biggest gainer on the FTSE 350, up 3.6% to 239p. Close behind is gold miner Acacia (ACA), up 3.3% to 317p.
A $65 million (£45 million) contract win with the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) helps interdealer broker ICAP (IAP) to gains of 2.7% to 427p. ICAP's EBS BrokerTec product will provide the technology that underpins trading of bonds and foreign exchange in mainland China under an agreement which is part of China's plans to develop its inter-bank markets as well as the globalisation of its currency.
Imperial Leather soap-to-St Tropez self-tan maker PZ Cussons (PZC) softens 3.1% to 329.8p as Canaccord Genuity's Eddy Hargreaves downgrades the stock from 'buy' to 'hold' ahead of a full-year trading update (9 Jun), the analyst highlighting a strong re-rating since late January and the absence of a near-term catalyst.
Drug developer ImmuPharma (IMM:AIM) dives 15% to 37.5p as shares fall back after spiking 36% when asset manager Alto Invest increased its shareholding in the small cap to 4.15% on 1 June.
Source BioScience (SBS) leaps 14.3% to 17p on news that Continental Investment Partners and Harwood Capital LLP are considering an 18p a share offer for the lab services and products supplier.
A price target cut to £10.99 from £11.40 by Jefferies International sends animal medicine-maker Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) 3.3% lower to £11.39.
Rising losses in 2015 sends respiratory disease-focused drug developer Verona Pharma (VRP:AIM) 7.5% lower to 3p. Higher R&D spend was behind pre-tax losses growing to £7.4 million from £2.7 million.
