By Simon Kennedy
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stock markets edged up in early trading Friday, extending their gains into a third straight session. Among stocks on the move, shares in BP PLC UK:BP +3.54% BP +1.43% rose 1.7% after the company reached a settlement with MOEX Offshore, a 10% owner of the Macondo well, over the Deepwater Horizon disaster. On the downside, shares in Mitchells & Butlers PLC UK:MAB -5.23% dropped 4.3% after the pub and restaurant operator reported its six-month results. The Stoxx Europe 600 index ST:STOXX600 +0.47% rose 0.1% to 280.31, the U.K. FTSE 100 index UK:UKX +0.67% added 0.25 to 5,970.26 and the German DAX 30 index DX:DAX +0.20% rose 0.3% to 7,379.11. The French CAC 40 index FR:PX1 +0.28% was flat at 4,027.80.
