Stocks futures edged up on Friday, pointing to a slightly firmer start for Wall Street, as shares added to gains from the previous session ahead of a key labor market report.

Investors will focus on non-farm payrolls data, due at 1330 GMT and expected to show a loss of 50,000 jobs in February, compared to 20,000 job cuts in January, a Reuters poll found.

Economists expected the unemployment rate to hit 9.8 percent in February, against 9.7 percent in the previous month.

Analysts said a fall in the payrolls numbers was likely in February, as winter storms that pounded parts of the country kept some workers at home, but a swift recovery was expected in March.

Other economic data set for release on Friday included the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) U.S. Future Inflation Gauge for February at 1440 GMT. The figures are designed to anticipate cyclical swings in the rate of inflation.

January consumer credit numbers were scheduled for release at 2000 GMT.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday after better than expected monthly sales from retailers and a drop in the number of Americans filing claims for jobless benefits pointed to stabilization in the economy.

ArcSight Inc shares fell 8.3 percent to $26.48 in extended trade on Thursday after the company reported quarterly results.

Cooper Companies shares fell 5.5 percent to $38 in extended trade on Thursday after the company posted quarterly results and said it was amending its full-year 2010 guidance.

Marvell Technology Group Ltd shares tumbled 4.4 percent to $19.25 in after-hours trade on Thursday after the company reported quarterly results.

General Growth Properties Inc plans to list its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange and will begin trading on Friday under its former symbol GGP, though it is still in bankruptcy.

In Europe, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares was up 0.4 percent at 1,040.08 by 0907 GMT.

(Reporting by Harpreet Bhal; Editing by Dan Lalor)