GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, dollar and oil rise after U.S. jobs data

Published 11/05/2010, 11:52 AM
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(Refiles to restore dropped word 'down' in paragraph 19 in reference to euro vs. dollar) * Global stocks rise but Wall Street wavers on jobs data

* U.S. crude extends rise on jobs data, trade choppy

* Dollar extends gains after U.S. jobs data

* Bond prices fall after rise in Oct U.S. payrolls (Adds open of U.S. markets)

By Herbert Lash

NEW YORK, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Global stocks, the dollar and crude oil rose on Friday after U.S. employers added more jobs than expected last month in a surprising gain that fueled hopes that the U.S. economy is on a faster pace to healthier growth.

News that nonfarm payrolls rose by 151,000 in October -- more than double the expected increase -- lifted markets that had leveled off after a Federal Reserve move earlier in the week to spur faster growth had fueled gains in risk assets.

The U.S. dollar rallied against the euro and yen, while oil hit a two-year high above $87 a barrel on U.S. Labor Department data that showed private companies hired workers at the fastest pace since April. For details see: [ID:nN04265378]

The dollar rose versus a basket of major currencies, with the U.S. Dollar Index <.DXY> up 0.68 percent at 76.395.

Analysts had forecast a gain of 60,000 jobs in October, according to a Reuters poll, even as the U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous month at 9.6 percent.

"It's both better than people had been looking for, and it's another nail in the coffin of a double dip," said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts, referring to fears the economy would slide back into recession.

However, the data was "still within the realm of a moderate recovery," Gault said, a view that seemed to be reflected on Wall Street, where markets hovered near break-even, in contrast to better gains in Europe and elsewhere.

MSCI's all-country world stock index <.MIWD00000PUS> rose 0.2 percent while the FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of leading European shares advanced 0.5 percent to 1,112.97.

"It was a stunning turnaround but you have to question whether it is sustainable," said Peter Dixon, an economist at Commerzbank. "But for now, with the quantitative easing announced on Wednesday, it is a 'win-win' for equities."

Dixon referred to the Fed's decision to pump an additional $600 billion into the U.S. economy through government bond purchases in hopes of pushing interest rates down further and stimulating demand. Markets jumped Thursday on the decision.

Miners ranked among Europe's best performers as metal prices rallied sharply, with Shanghai zinc jumping 5 percent and London copper rising to fresh 27-month highs, within $200 of a fresh record. Copper rose to $8,769.50 per tonne.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 edged higher as banking stocks surged following reports in the last session that the Fed would allow some stronger banks to increase dividend payments. [ID:nN05189917] But the Dow dipped a day after closing at its highest level since Lehman Brothers' demise in September 2008. The Nasdaq also slipped.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 13.88 points, or 0.12 percent, at 11,420.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 2.23 points, or 0.18 percent, at 1,223.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 3.08 points, or 0.12 percent, at 2,574.26.

While the jobs report will help bolster so-called risk markets and push oil prices higher, investors want to see sustainable gains in unemployment, said Mohamed El-Erian, who helps oversee more than $1.1 trillion as co-chief investment officer at Pacific Investment Management Co, or PIMCO.

"The longer-term impact will depend on the strength of the all-important hand-off to permanent sources of employment growth," El-Erian said.

Gold hit a fresh record, with spot gold prices up $4.95 at $1,397.20 an ounce.

U.S. crude futures rose 22 cents at $86.70 a barrel, having touched $87.22 earlier, the highest intraday price since October 2008.

ICE Brent futures rose 1 cent to $88.10.

The euro was down nearly 1 percent at $1.4060, and against the Japanese yen, the dollar was up 0.62 percent at 81.22.

U.S. Treasury debt prices fell, driving the 30-year bond yield to its highest level since June, as the jobs data erased the safe-haven appeal of government debt. [ID:nN05330484]

The 30-year U.S. Treasury bond slid 29/32 in price to yield 4.12 percent. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 11/32 in price to yield 2.53 percent.

The MSCI index of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan shot up 1 percent <.MIAPJ0000PUS>, while Japan's Nikkei share average <.N225> rose 2.9 percent overnight in Asia, leading gains in regional stock indexes for a second day. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos, Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, Jennifer Ablan and Ellen Freilich in New York, Ikuko Kurahone, Brian Gorman Dominic Lau in London; Writing by Herbert Lash; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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