GLOBAL MARKETS-World stocks rise after U.S. jobs data

                                
* MSCI world equity index up 0.3 pct at steady at 215.12
                                
 * U.S. payrolls data come above most pessimistic forecast
                                
 * Government bonds, oil, yen fall
                                
 
                                
 By Natsuko Waki
                                
 LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - European stocks rose, Wall
Street was set for a firmer opening and government bonds slipped
on Friday after closely-watched data showed the U.S. economy
lost 663,000 jobs, not so far from the forecast.
                                
 The unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent, its highest since
1983.
                                
 While the data highlighted the growing distress in the
labour market, investors were relieved the economy did not lose
more jobs than they feared.
                                
 "It gives the market a sense that we dodged a bullet in the
very, very near term. It's positive in that it wasn't a blowout
number of more than 750,000," said Peter Kenny, managing
director of Knight Equity Markets in Jersey City, New Jersey.
                                
 "All the indexes are higher because the market is breathing
a sigh of relief because it wasn't a blowout of market
psychology. It indicates a slackening of the rate of decline and
leaves the bear market rally intact."
                                
 The MSCI world equity index <.MIWD00000PUS> was up a quarter
percent. The FTSEurofirst 300 index <.FTEU3> rose 0.15 percent
on the day, while emerging stocks <.MSCIEF> were up 0.6 percent.
                                
 U.S. stock futures <SPc1> were pointing to a firmer open on
Wall Street later.
                                
 Broad gains in the equity market come a day after Group of
20 leaders presented a united front to combat the financial
crisis, sending risky assets higher.
                                
 At their London summit, G20 leaders pledged $1.1 trillion of
additional funds to the International Monetary Fund and other
institutions and to boost trade finance.
                                
 World stocks have risen more than 20 percent since hitting a
5-1/2 year low in March and investors are closely watching if
the rally could be sustainable this time even with some
consolidation.
                                
 "There is still a lot of volatility and I think these
ambiguous ups and downs are typically what happens when the
market is starting to turn around," said Bernard McAlinden,
strategist at NCB Stockbrokers.
                                
 "We had a good day yesterday. The G20 was less vague than
probably the market had been expecting and the IMF deal will be
good for European equities. There has also been a lot of mixed
economic data."
                                
 U.S. crude oil <CLc1> fell 1 percent to $52.16 after surging
9 percent on Thursday.
                                
 The June bund futures <FGBLc1> fell 42 ticks.
                                
 The dollar <.DXY> was steady against a basket of major
currencies while the low-yielding yen lost 0.4 percent to 100.07
per dollar <JPY=>.
 (Additional reporting by Joanne Frearson)