U.S. stock markets closed unevenly on Friday, following eagerly anticipated labor market data and ahead of a long weekend due to a holiday on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished 0.5 percent lower at 53,414 points. Conversely, the Nasdaq, representing the 100 most important values, rose by 0.2 percent to close at 29,544 points. The broader S&P 500 settled in between, declining slightly by 0.4 percent to 7,719 points.
A stronger-than-expected rise in U.S. jobs impacted both equities and short-term bonds. This is because fewer unemployed individuals tend to boost consumer purchasing power, which in turn drives up prices and inflation. This prompted increased expectations that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates this month.
In currency markets, the Euro weakened somewhat by Friday evening; one Euro cost $1.1613, while consequently, the dollar traded for 0.8611 Euros.
Meanwhile, the price of gold showed a decline, with a fin ounce trading at $4,430 in the evening, marking a 1 percent drop. This equates to a price of €122.66 per gram. In contrast, the oil price rose. A barrel of Brent crude from the North Sea cost $96.10 as of 10 p.m. Central European Time, which is 0.6 percent-or 58 cents-higher than the previous day’s closing price.
