A roundup of trading on major world markets:
NEW YORK – Wall Street stocks have finished a buoyant week with a whimper, ending the session lower in a drop attributed to profit taking.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 60.59 points (0.34 per cent) at 17,824.29 on Friday.
The broad-based S&P 500 lost 7.05 (0.34 per cent) at 2,055.47, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 20.70 (0.43 per cent) to 4,744.40.
The losses followed a strong jobs report that sent US stocks higher in the morning.
The Labor Department said the US economy added 257,000 jobs in January, better than the 235,000 projected by analysts.
The report included large upward revisions to jobs growth in November and December.
Hourly wage growth gained 0.5 per cent, a big improvement after a December drop.
LONDON – The jobs data showing the US economy is steaming ahead failed to revive Europe’s main stock markets, with anxiety over Greece still weighing on sentiment.
London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.18 per cent to 6,853.44 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 lost 0.26 per cent to 4,691.03 and Frankfurt’s DAX 30 index shed 0.54 per cent to 10,846.39.
Milan dropped 0.28 per cent but Madrid’s IBEX 35 managed a 0.36 per cent gain.
The euro declined to $US1.1330 from $US1.1475 late in New York on Thursday.
HONG KONG – Investors seemed to shrug off a clash between Greece’s new finance minister and his German counterpart over renegotiating Athens’ debt, and a strong rally on Wall Street provided support to most Asian markets.
Tokyo stocks on Friday added 0.82 per cent, or 143.88 points, to close at 17,648.50 and Seoul gained 0.14 per cent, or 2.68 points, to 1,955.52.
Sydney rose for a record 12th straight session, adding 0.16 per cent, or 9.20 points, to close at 5,820.17, despite Australia’s central bank lowering its 2015 economic growth forecasts. The index has now risen more than 10 per cent since January 20.
However, Shanghai sank 1.93 per cent, or 60.62 points, to 3,075.91 and Hong Kong slipped 0.35 per cent, or 86.10 points, to 24,679.39.
WELLINGTON – The NZX 50 index increased 12.28 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 5797.59.
