6 Sep 2010

Markets ended higher on Friday

9:02 am on 6 September 2010

Wall Street stocks closed higher on Friday, after a relatively encouraging report on the jobs market lifted hopes about the pace of economic growth.

The Labor Department says private employers added 67,000 jobs in August, more than the 41,000 previously forecast by economists.

Wall Street heads into this week with strong tailwind from Friday's rally and strong manufacturing data.

There is increased optimism that the economy is recovering, albeit at a slower pace than previously hoped.

The Dow Jones Index rose 128 points, to finish the week at 10,448.

The Nasdaq Composite gained 34 points, to finish at 2234.

In London, the FTSE 100 index rose 57 points to 5428, the CAC-40 in Paris rose 41 points to 3672 and the DAX in Frankfurt closed up 51 points, at 6135.

Across the Tasman, the Australian 200 Index rose 9 points to 4541.

The NZX 50 finished the week 25 points higher, at 3107 on turnover of $62 million.

At 8.15am on Monday, the New Zealand dollar was trading at 72.80 US cents, 78.53 Australian cents, 46.68 pence, 60.77 yen and 0.5578 euro. The Trade Weighted Index was at 66.63.

Brent crude was trading at $US75.67 per barrel and gold was trading at $US1248.04 per ounce.