LIVE MARKETS — STOXX 600 heads for weekly gain

(Adds new blog) STOXX 600 up 0.3%, set for weekly gain Asia shares bounce as tech worries ease Defence, autos lead Wall Street futures lower Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of markets brought to you by Reuters reporters. You can share your thoughts with us at Stoxx 600 Heads For Weekly Gain Major European equity markets are heading for a decent weekly rise, shrugging off the tech worries that have weighed on stocks in Asia and the US. The pan-continental STOXX 600 is up 0.3% on Friday, taking its weekly rise to 1.7%. Breadth is positive, with around two-thirds of stocks in the green. The FTSE, DAX and CAC are up between 1.5% and 2.7% this week. In contrast, Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 5% and South Korea's Kospi shed 15% this week. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 are both in the red through Thursday, although futures are pointing to a slightly higher open later today. Back in Europe, aerospace & defence stocks and autos lead, while healthcare underperforms. Britain's banks are a touch lower after the Guardian newspaper reported that finance minister John Healey was looking at taxing the sector as part of his revenue-raising measures in the October 28 budget. Here's your opening