PARIS, Nov 20 (Reuters) - European stock index futures pointed to a higher start on Friday, as shares were poised to bounce back after the previous day's sharp losses, with firmer commodity prices lending support to resource-related shares.

At 0717 GMT, futures for the Eurostoxx 50, Germany's DAX and the French CAC 40 were up between 0.4 and 0.5 percent. Earlier, financial bookmakers had expected Britain's FTSE 100 to open around 31 points higher, or as much as 0.6 percent.

"Traders in Europe are eyeing a stronger start to the session as they look to turn yesterday's sell-off into a quick buying opportunity," IG Markets analyst Ben Potter wrote in a note.

Crude oil futures gained 22 cents to $77.68 a barrel on Friday while metal prices inched higher, with Shanghai zinc futures hitting their highest level in 18 months and LME prices jumping more than 2 percent on speculative buying fuelled by supply concerns.

European stocks fell 1.6 percent on Thursday, after bearish analyst comment on the semi-conductor sector weighed on technology shares while lower commodity prices pressured oils and miners.

Tech stocks will again be in the spotlight after Dell Inc's quarterly profit plunged 54 percent on lower-than-expected sales as it lost market share to competitors engaged in a budding price war in the PC market, sending its shares down 6 percent in extented trading.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares, which has risen 57 percent since falling to a record low in early March, is up 22 percent so far this year. The benchmark index has lost 0.9 percent so far this week.

----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0712 GMT----------------------

S&P 500 1,094.90 -1.34 % -14.9
NIKKEI 9,497.68 -0.54 % -51.79
MSCI ASIA EX-JP 473.43 -0.62 % -2.95
EUR/USD 1.4924 0.01 % 0.0001
USD/JPY 88.82 -0.18 % -0.1600
10-YR US TSY YLD 3.342 -- 0.00
10-YR BUND YLD 3.272 -- 0.00
SPOT GOLD $1,145.50 0.17 % $2.00
US CRUDE $77.75 0.37 % 0.29

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Wall St drops on recovery concerns, tech rout

GLOBAL MARKETS-Dollar firm, shares dip in shift to safety

Nikkei falters, first 4-wk losing streak in a year

Oil steady at below $78, traders seek fresh cues

TREASURIES-Steady to firmer, underpinned by stock falls

Dlr and yen gain, high-yielders remain vulnerable

Gold eases on firm dlr, investment demand supports

Copper seen extending losses on firmer dollar

COMPANY NEWS:

CAPGEMINI

The IT services company could use its strong cash position to make acqusitions or pay an extra dividend, Chief Executive Paul Hermelin said on Thursday. For details, see:

ALCATEL-LUCENT

The telecoms equipment group, which has posted losses for the past 12 quarters, expects a 5 percent operating profit margin for 2010, chief executive Ben Verwaayen said. For details, see:

NOKIA

Nokia's telecoms equipment unit Nokia Siemens Networks and One Equity Partners are seen as a joint bidder, challenging a $526 million bid by Ciena Corp, when Canada's Nortel Networks Corp auctions its optical networking and carrier ethernet business later on Friday. For details, see:

LAGARDERE

The media group has seen an improvement in advertising in the United States and Spain but said on Thursday it was too early to talk of recovery. For details, see:

ROCHE

The Swiss drugmaker's rheumatoid arthritis drug, Actemra, significantly improved symptoms of systemic onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA), meeting its primary goal in a late-stage trial, the group said. For related news, click on

DEUTSCHE BANK

Moody's Investors Service placed Deutsche Bank on review for a possible downgrade due to possible credit-related writedowns that may weigh on profits, the rating agency said. For details, see:

Separately, chief executive Josef Ackermann told a German newspaper that taxpayers would have to come to the rescue of banks should a financial crisis engulf the entire sector. For details, see:

AREVA

The nuclear reactor builder will have to make a decision on the sale of its transmission and distribution business (T&D) by Dec. 9 when its three bids expire, a source close to the situation told Reuters. For details, see:

LEGAL & GENERAL

The UK's third-largest insurer, is set to appoint former Barclays chief executive John Stewart as its new chairman, The Times newspaper reported.

BALOISE

Continued low interest rates could cause some insurers to collapse, the CEO of Baloise warned on Thursday, using Japan in the 1990s as an example. For related news, click on

EADS

The countries who have ordered the delayed A400M military transporter from European plane maker Airbus plan to reach a solution on how to continue the project by the end of 2009, the German Defence Ministry said. For details, see:

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson) Keywords: MARKETS EUROPE FACTORS (blaise.robinson@reuters.com ; +33 1 4949 5269, Reuters Messaging: blaise.robinson.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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