World markets drift as focus turns to US jobs data

European and U.S. stocks traded in a narrow range Thursday as investors awaited crucial U.S. jobs data following unsurprising policy statements from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.

The news that Greece has seemingly managed a sale of euro5 billion ($6.8 billion) in bonds to finance some of its debt has helped shore up confidence ahead of the payrolls figures.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed down 6.05 points, or 0.1 percent, at 5,527.16 while Germany's DAX fell 22.56 points, or 0.4 percent, to 5,795.32. The CAC-40 in France ended 14.11 points, or 0.4 percent, lower at 3,828.41.

On Wall Street, the …