US STOCKS-Futures up ahead of payrolls, NYSE Euronext jumps

* 190K U.S. jobs seen added, unemployment rate steady

* Break above 1,330 on S&P may trigger more buying

* NYSE Euronext gains on rival bid from Nasdaq, ICE

* Futures up: Dow 49 pts, S&P 5.2 pts, Nasdaq 8.25 pts

* For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US] (Adds analyst quote, new NYSE Euronext bid)

By Ryan Vlastelica

NEW YORK, April 1 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were higher on Friday ahead of an employment report expected to show the economy continued to add jobs.

The government's non-farm payrolls report, due at 8:30 a.m. EDT [1230 GMT], is seen showing a gain of 190,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate is expected to remain steady at 8.9 percent. Reports earlier this week suggested the outlook for the labor market was improving.

European stocks and oil rose in anticipation of the report, which could confirm the U.S. economy continued to gain strength despite the turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa and the nuclear crisis in quake-ravaged Japan.

Investors are also betting a strong payrolls number could help the S&P 500 break above 1,330, a level that has been unbreachable despite several attempts in the past month. Technical momentum may kick in if it breaks past the level, lifting stocks further.

"A good jobs number could find us challenging the S&P's 2011 high" of 1,344.07, said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lek Securities in New York. "That said, this remains a headline-driven market, and the fear is that at any time negativity will creep its way back into the mind-set ."

NYSE Euronext shares rallied in premarket trading after Nasdaq OMX Group Inc and IntercontinentalExchange Inc unveiled a bid to buy the rival exchanges operator, topping an earlier offer from Deutsche Boerse AG . For details, see [ID:nL3E7F11TO]

NYSE surged 12 percent to $39.30, while ICE shares were down 2.9 percent to $119.95.

S&P 500 futures rose 5.2 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 49 points and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 8.25 points.

Other macroeconomic data scheduled for Friday includes the Institute for Supply Management report for March, due at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT). The release follows upbeat Chinese factory data that eased concerns about monetary tightening. [ID:nL3E7F104Q]

Friday is the first day of the second quarter. The S&P gained 5.4 percent in the first quarter. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For a graphic on asset performance in Q1 click on: http://r.reuters.com/wur78r ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

The World Trade Organization said late Thursday that Boeing Co received at least $5.3 billion in illegal U.S. subsidies. [ID:nLDE72U108]

Goldman Sachs Group Inc borrowed five times from the U.S. Federal Reserve's discount window since the start of the financial crisis despite a senior executive's testimony that the bank used it only once. [ID:nN31260744]

U.S. stocks ended the first quarter with the barest of moves on Thursday. (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)