London open: Quiet start ahead of jobs data

London has opened quietly as traders focus on the US where September's non-farm payrolls numbers are due to be released this afternoon. Expectations are for a 5,000 increase in non-farm payrolls, while the unemployment rate is expected to nudge up to 9.7% from 9.6% in August. Until those numbers are confirmed, however, traders seem generally content to sit on their hands.Miners are one sector going well on hopes that the numbers could tip the Federal Reserve's hand into more stimulus measures. Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are all higher, though Fresnillo is lower.Barclays is also down after PCP3, a vehicle linked to Man City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, sold 220m shares. Holiday company Thomas Cook and the Co-operative Group are merging their high street travel agents and foreign exchange businesses. Today's move creates Britain's largest high street travel network with over 1,200 shops - 803 Thomas Cook and 401 Co-op - and result in savings of over £35m a year.Mobile phone networks operator Vodafone has snapped up two telecom expense management firms: US company TnT Expense and Australian firm Quickcomm. The former has gross assets of $2.8m and the latter $6.9m.Residential property firm Grainger said the preliminary valuation of its UK residential portfolio indicates a year on year increase in vacant possession values of 4.5% compared to increases of 2.5% and 3.1% in the Halifax and Nationwide indices respectively.Tool and machinery hire firm Speedy Hire will take a £1.7m bad debt charge after the the collapse of social housing group Connaught, which was a big customer of the plant hire group.Israeli technology firm Emblaze has successfully appealed against a decision by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to withhold £8.8m of VAT repayments claimed since March 2006.