BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks are likely to open higher on Friday, with renewed optimism around artificial intelligence and Fed rate cut hopes likely to underpin investor sentiment, heading into the weekend. The White House said 'thousands' of jobs from 'Democrat agencies' would be cut as another day of the U.S. government shutdown passed. Asian stocks were mostly higher in thin trade, with mainland China and South Korean markets closed for holidays. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4 percent as OpenAI completed a deal to help employees sell shares in the company at a $500 billion valuation. European stocks closed at a record high for a second session on Thursday as investors ramped up wagers on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.