LONDON - European markets were higher on Friday as global shares fell and investors awaited US inflation prints.

 Pan-European Stocks 600

 It was last up 0.37% at 10:46 am London time, with most sectors and major markets across the region trading in the green.

Mining and household goods stocks rose 0.98% and 0.9%, respectively, while food and beverage stocks gained 0.61%.

Autos recovered losses earlier in the day and were last up 0.19%, followed by Germany's Mercedes-Benz.

 said it was narrowing its annual profit margin forecast.

NatWest rose as much as 7% at one point on Friday after the British bank reported that its pretax operating profit for the first half of the year fell less than expected.

European equities closed lower in the past two sessions amid a sharp slowdown in technology stocks, with Wall Street's tech-heavy Nasdaq composite down more than 3% this week.

Overall, Stoxx's losses eased last week, while regional indexes posted their worst performance since October.

The biggest item on the data front on Friday is the US Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index, due at 8:30 a.m. ET. , as investors seek further support for higher expectations for a September rate cut. Economists polled by Dow Jones had expected the headline figure to come in at 2.5% annually and 0.1% monthly.

Asia-Pacific markets were broadly higher on Friday, as Tokyo headline inflation slowed slightly to 2.2% in July from 2.3% in May. US stock futures were higher in early hours.

LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - European stocks and U.S. futures rebounded on Friday as markets steadied after a week in which global equities fell nearly 2%, while the dollar rebounded against the yen ahead of U.S. inflation data.

Europe's continent-wide STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) opened the new tab 0.44% higher and was on track to end the week 0.2% higher after losing 2.7% last week.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.74%, while the index (.SPX) opened a new tab on Thursday for a third straight day up 1.9% week-to-date.

Technology-rich US futures for the Nasdaq index - which has fallen 7% in the past two weeks - rose 1.07%.

Investors awaited the release of the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index for June, the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, at 1230 GMT (8.30 am ET).

"I think it could serve as another reminder that inflation is not completely gone," said Hugh Gimber, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.