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GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, oil rally after US jobs data

Published 05/06/2011, 11:36 AM
Updated 05/06/2011, 11:40 AM
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* US April nonfarm payrolls rise more than expected

* U.S. stocks open higher after data, Treasuries fall

* Oil prices rally in volatile trade after sell-off

(Updates prices, changes dateline, previous LONDON)

By Walter Brandimarte

NEW YORK, May 6 (Reuters) - Stocks and oil prices recovered while Treasuries fell on Friday after a report showed U.S. employers added more jobs than forecast in April, easing concerns about the strength of the economic recovery.

Oil prices fell further early, after plummeting nearly 10 percent on Thursday, but recovered to be up about 1.5 pct midsession on Friday, as investors wondered whether the recent commodities sell-off was overdone.

The U.S. dollar was little changed against major currencies after jumping on Thursday, as the euro slumped and commodity prices plunged. Traders said the better U.S. employment data reported early Friday was unlikely to change the outlook for Federal Reserve monetary policy, suggesting this year's downtrend in the dollar may not be over.

U.S. employers added 244,000 jobs in April, the most in 11 months and far more than the 186,000 expected by economists. For details, see [ID:nOAT004799].

"Surprisingly good, strong number -- this reminds everyone that we are still on the path of recovery," said Jeff Kleintop, chief market strategist at LPL Financial in Boston.

"This might even put a bid back in commodities which have suffered so tremendously this week on the fear that there is no more need for an inflation hedge."

U.S. stock indexes rose about 1.0 percent after the jobs data, recovering from a four day slide.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> jumped 151.29 points, or 1.20 percent, at 12,735.46, and The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 15.49 points, or 1.16 percent, at 1,350.59. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 28.21 points, or 1.00 percent, at 2,842.93.

The MSCI All-Country World Index <.MIWD00000PUS> climbed 0.6 percent.

In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top shares rose 1.1 percent.

The positive jobs data also encouraged investors to leave safe-havens such as U.S. Treasuries and the Japanese yen.

The price of 10-year U.S. Treasury notes fell 20/32, while their yield rose to 3.2248 percent.

The dollar rose 0.54 percent against the Japanese currency , to 80.56 yen.

INTEREST RATE DIFFERENTIALS STILL A DRIVER

The greenback lost most of its initial gains against the euro, however, as investors kept betting that euro zone rates will go up faster than U.S. rates, even after the European Central Bank signaled on Thursday that it will not tighten monetary policy next month.

The euro last traded 0.16 percent lower at $1.4515, after reaching a session low of 1.4455 right after the release of the jobs data.

"We're still looking at the divergence in interest rate outlooks between the Fed and ECB as the primary driver in market activity over the medium term," said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.

"This morning's jobs data was certainly positive and encouraging on many fronts, but it was not strong enough to meaningfully to alter the outlook for Fed policy and so doesn't necessarily provide any long-term support for the U.S. dollar," he said.

U.S. crude oil prices jumped 1.9 percent, to $101.70 per barrel, after zigzagging between positive and negative following the release of the jobs data.

Investors are still asking themselves whether the positive payrolls surprise will be enough to quench this week's sell-off in commodities, which triggered the second-largest one day drop in U.S. crude prices on Thursday.

"There are huge winners and losers" in the commodities sell-off, said Michael Cheah, senior portfolio manager with Sunamerica Asset Management in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"The question will be will the losers be forced to sell other things to make margin requirements? If anything, the winners will sell to make more money."

(Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak and Wanfeng Zhou;)

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