WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After turning in a lackluster performance in theprevious session, stocks showed a substantial upward move during trading onFriday, as traders reacted positively to a much better than expected report onthe employment situation in the month of January.The rally on Wall Street came following the release of a report from the LaborDepartment showing that stronger than expected job growth in the month ofJanuary drove the unemployment rate down to its lowest level in almost threeyears.With optimism about the outlook for the economy generating broad based buyinginterest, most of the major sectors showed strong moves to the upside on theday.Networking stocks posted particularly strong gains, driving the NYSE ArcaNetworking Index up by 4.7 percent to a six-month closing high. Infinera (INFN)helped to lead the sector higher, jumping by 14.6 percent after reporting betterthan expected fourth quarter results. Significant strength was also visible among housing stocks, as reflected by the4.6 percent gain posted by the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index. Standout gainsby M.D.C. Holdings and KB Home (KBH) helped to lift the index to its bestclosing level in well over a year.Banking stocks also saw considerable strength, resulting in a 3.3 percent gainby the KBW Bank Index. Comerica (CMA) and Bank of America (BAC) turned in two ofthe sector's best performances. Airline, electronic storage, healthcare provider, and steel stocks also postednotable gains, while gold and health insurance stocks were among the few groupsthat bucked the uptrend by the broader markets.The major averages moved roughly sideways in afternoon trading, closing firmlyin positive territory. The Dow jumped 156.82 points or 1.2 percent to 12,862.23,the Nasdaq soared 45.98 points or 1.6 percent to 2,905.66 and the S&P 500 surgedup 19.36 points or 1.5 percent to 1,344.90.For the week, the Dow rose by 1.6 percent, the Nasdaq shot up by 3.2 percent andthe S&P 500 advanced by 2.2 percent. With the gains, the Dow ended the sessionat its best closing level in over three years, while the Nasdaq reached aneleven-year closing high.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Stocks continue to see considerable strength inmid-afternoon trading on Friday following the release of a much better thanexpected jobs report. After moving sharply higher in early trading, the majoraverages remain firmly in positive territory.The rally on Wall Street comes on the heels of the release of a report from theLabor Department showing that stronger than expected job growth in the month ofJanuary drove the unemployment rate down to its lowest level in almost threeyears.Adding to the positive sentiment, the Institute for Supply Management released areport showing that its index of activity in the service sector jumped to aneleven-month high in January.Networking stocks continue to turn in some of the market's best performances onthe day, with the NYSE Arca Networking Index up by 4.6 percent. Infinera (INFN)has helped to lead the sector higher after reporting better than expected fourthquarter results.Significant strength also remains visible among housing stocks, as reflected bythe 4.1 percent gain being posted by the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index.Financial, airline, healthcare provider, and steel stocks are also postingstandout gains amid broad based buying interest.Meanwhile, gold and health insurance stocks are among the few groups that arebucking the uptrend by the broader markets. The major averages have been more or less rangebound in afternoon trading,holding on to strong gains. The Dow is up 142.52 points or 1.1 percent at12,847.93, the Nasdaq is up 43.44 points or 1.5 percent at 2,903.12 and the S&P500 is up 17.32 points or 1.3 percent at 1,342.86.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market began Friday's trading sessionto the downside, but was able to recover over the course of the day. The releaseof positive economic data from the U.S. in the afternoon provided a boost to theSwiss market. The U.S. Labor Department revised the data for the months of December andNovember and the unemployment rate came in with an unexpected decrease. Theincrease in the number of weekly hours suggests an increase in industrialproduction. The ISM manufacturing index number also increased more sharply thanexpected.The Swiss Market Index climbed by 31 points to 6,153, an increase of 1.47%. TheSwiss Leader Index increased by 1.60% and the Swiss Performance Index gained1.43%.Among the financial stocks, shares of the big banks were the top gainers. UBSrose by 3.5% and Credit Suisse finished up by 2.7%. ZFS increased by 2.2% Fridayand Swiss Re climbed by 1.5%. The index heavyweights also finished to the plusside. Roche gained 2.6%, Novartis closed higher by 0.7% and Nestle rose by 0.7%.Cyclicals also finished in the green Friday. Nobel Biocare was the standoutperformer, with an increase of 4.9%. Adecco gained 3.7% and Logitech rose by3.1%. Luxury goods companies Swatch and Richemont finished higher by 2.0% and1.3% respectively.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After showing a strong move to the upside at thestart of trading on Friday, stocks have continued to perform well over thecourse of the morning. The major averages have climbed firmly into positiveterritory, with the Nasdaq reaching its best intraday level in over ten years.Much of the strength on Wall Street stems from the release of a much better thanexpected report on the employment situation in the month of January, with thereport showing stronger than expected job growth and an unexpected drop by theunemployment rate.Adding to the positive sentiment, the Institute for Supply Management released areport showing that its index of activity in the service sector jumped to aneleven-month high in January.While considerable strength has emerged in a variety of sectors, networkingstocks are turning in some of the best performances in late morning trading.Infinera (INFN) has helped to lead the sector higher after reporting better thanexpected fourth quarter results. Financial stocks are also posting particularly strong gains amid optimism aboutthe outlook for the economy. Significant strength is also visible among housing,electronic storage, steel, and airline stocks.Meanwhile, gold stocks continue to buck the uptrend by the broader markets amida pullback by the price of the precious metal.The major averages have pulled back off their highs for the session in recenttrading but continue to post strong gains. The Dow is up 128.86 points or 1percent at 12,834.27, the Nasdaq is up 37.59 points or 1.3 percent at 2,897.27and the S&P 500 is up 15.24 points or 1.2 percent at 1,340.78.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Stocks moved sharply higher at the start of tradingon Friday, as traders reacted positively to a report showing stronger thanexpected U.S. job growth. The major averages all showed strong moves to theupside after ending the previous session mixed.The initial strength on Wall Street comes following the release of a report fromthe Labor Department showing that the U.S. economy added far more jobs thananticipated in the month of January. The job growth also contributed to anunexpected drop by the unemployment rate.The data has added to recent signs that the U.S. economy continues to recover,although lingering concerns about the financial situation in Europe and itsimpact on the global economy have helped to limit the upside for the markets.Housing stocks are turning in some of the market's best performances in earlytrading, driving the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index up by 2.4 percent. Withthe gain, the index is on pace to end the session at its best closing level inwell over a year.Significant strength is also visible among banking stocks, which are benefitingfrom optimism about the outlook for the economy. Most of the other major sectorshave also moved to the upside, with networking, biotechnology, and airlinestocks posting notable gains.On the other hand, gold stocks are bucking the uptrend by the broader marketsamid a pullback by the price of the precious metal. The major averages have not seen much follow-through on their initial upwardmove but remain firmly positive. The Dow is up 111.68 points or 0.9 percent at12,817.09, the Nasdaq is up 28.01 points or 1 percent at 2,887.69 and the S&P500 is up 12.34 points or 0.9 percent at 1,337.88.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Wall Street may start Friday's session on a nervousnote, as has been characteristic of a session coinciding with the day of therelease of the non-farm payrolls report. Nevertheless, the index futures suggesta firm opening. The recent economic optimism has a lot to do with the upturn wehave been seeing in some labor market indicators, and incremental evidencefortifying deduction of strength in the labor market may augur well for themarkets.As of 6:30 am ET, the Dow futures are adding 22 points and the S&P 500 futuresare moving up 2.60 points, while the Nasdaq 100 futures are climbing 8.50points.U.S. stocks moved about in a listless manner on Thursday before closing on amixed, as caution prevailed ahead of Friday's jobs report. Traders reacted tomixed catalysts, including a positive jobless claims report and some mixedcorporate earnings.On the economic front, the Labor Department is set to release the monthlynon-farm payrolls report at 8:30 am ET. Economists expect non-farm payrolls forJanuary to increase by 135,000, but they expect the unemployment rate to remainunchanged at 8.5 percent. In December, about 200,000 new jobs were added and theunemployment rate ticked down to 8.5 percent.The Institute for Supply Management is scheduled to release the results of itsnon-manufacturing survey at 10 am ET. The non-manufacturing index is likely toshow a reading of 53.3 for January after rising to 52.6 in December.Additionally, the Commerce Department is due to release its report on factorygoods orders for December at 10 am ET. Economists estimate a 1.5 percentincrease in orders for factory goods after durable goods orders rose a betterthan expected 3 percent in the month.In corporate news, Weyerhaeuser (WY) reported fourth quarter adjusted earningsof $77 million or 14 cents per share, higher than $52 million last year.Revenues were about in line with estimates.Polaris (PII) announced a 64 percent increase in its regular quarterly dividendto 37 cents per share, effective in the first quarter 2012.Cymer (CYMI) reported better than expected fourth quarter results, while itissued weak revenue guidance for the first quarter.Thor Industries (THO) reported preliminary sales of $596.40 million for itssecond quarter, ahead of the consensus estimate.Coldwater Creek (CWTR) promoted CFO Jim Bell to the newly created role of COO.Video game software makers THQ, Inc. (THQI) and Take-two Interactive (TTWO)after peer Electronic Arts (EA) released solid holiday quarter results. THQposted weaker than expected results for its third quarter and issued a bleakforecast. Take-two reported third quarter earnings that exceeded estimates,while it slashed its forecast for the year below the consensus estimate.Acme Packet's (APKT) fourth quarter earnings were below estimates.The major Asian markets ended mixed, as the U.S. non-farm payrolls kept traderson the tenterhooks. Japan's Nikkei 225 average languished below the unchangedline for much of the session, snapping a 3-session winning streak and closingdown 44.89 points or 0.51 percent at 8,832.Australia's All Ordinaries closed at 4,320, down 13.10 points or 0.30 percent,as traders feared to take fresh positions ahead of the U.S. jobs data, whileHong Kong's Hang Seng ended up 17.53 points or 0.08 percent at 20,757. In a deal news, billionaire Li-Ka-Shing's Hutchinson's Whampoa announced anagreement to buy Orange Austria in a 1.3 billion euro-deal.The major European markets are trading with moderate gains, with tradersremaining optimistic despite the debt imbroglio of the region and the overboughtlevels of the markets.In another deal news, U.K.-based Misys confirmed that it is in talks withSwitzerland-based Temenos for a possible merger with the latter. Misys hadearlier failed to clinch a deal with U.S.-based Fidelity National InformationServices (FIS).Revised service sector activity indicator for the eurozone released by MarkitEconomics showed that the sector saw expansion in January, although at aslightly slower pace than initially estimated. Meanwhile, the correspondingindicator for the U.K. showed that the headline business activity index rose 2points to 56, the highest reading since March 2011. Economists had forecast theindicator to have declined to 53.3.Crude oil futures are rising after the declines of the past five session andgold futures are higher too, while risk currencies are seeing modest strength.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The European markets turned positive on Friday after aweak start, ahead of the key monthly jobs report from the U.S. Major marketsacross Asia/Pacific ended mixed while the U.S. index futures are higher.The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks is adding 0.42 percent,while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, isrising 0.45 percent. The German DAX is gaining 0.39 percent and the French CAC 40 is adding 0.48percent. The UK's FTSE 100 is rising 0.47 percent and Switzerland's SMI isgaining 0.53 percent.In Frankfurt, MunichRe is climbing 1.9 percent. Commerzbank raised the stock to'Buy' from 'Hold.'Infineon Technologies, truckmaker MAN and steel giant ThyssenKrupp are notablyhigher.Commerzbank is up 0.9 percent, while Deutsche Bank is losing moderately.Daimler and BMW are in positive territory, while Volkswagen is losing.Retailer Fielmann is gaining 0.8 percent. Cheuvreux cut the stock to'Underperform' from 'Outperform.'In Paris, Societe Generale is climbing 4.6 percent. BNP Paribas and CreditAgricole are advancing 1.5 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively. Deutsche Bankraised BNP Paribas to 'Buy' from 'Hold.'Alcatel Lucent is adding 2.5 percent. EADS is up 2.1 percent.Peugeot and Renault are rising 1.9 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.Deutsche Bank reinitiated Carrefour with a 'Hold' rating. The stock is up 0.4percent.Cosmetics giant Loreal is losing 0.8 percent and luxury goods firm LVMH isfalling 0.7 percent.In London, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are losing 1.6 percent and 2.2 percent,respectively.Admiral Group is climbing over 8 percent. Man Group is gaining 3 percent.BT Group is gaining 3.6 percent. The internet service provider reported anincrease in profit for the third quarter, adding that it expects to achieve itsEBITDA target of above 6 billion pounds set for 2013 a year earlier thanplanned.Lender Barclays is climbing 1.6 percent and Royal Bank of Scotland is rising 1.7percent.Financial software provider Misys is losing 0.8 percent after confirming that itis in preliminary discussions with Temenos Group regarding a possible strategiccombination. Temenos is surging 8.4 percent in Zurich.Royal Dutch Shell is losing 0.8 percent. Barclays cut the stock to 'Equalweight'from 'Overweight.'Volvo is rising 1.8 percent in Stockholm. The company reported a 46 percentincrease in fourth-quarter profit.Bekaert is losing 3.5 percent in Brussels after the wire & cable firm wasreportedly downgraded at ING.Inditex is losing 0.3 percent in Madrid after HSBC downgraded the stock to'Neutral' from 'Overweight.'UBS cut BBVA to 'Sell' from 'Neutral.' The stock is up 1.4 percent.In economic news, Germany's private sector output expanded in January at thefastest pace since June 2011, but the increase was slightly weaker than theflash estimate, final data from Markit Economics showed.Eurozone retail sales fell 0.4 percent in December from the prior month,Eurostat reported Friday. Economists were expecting turnover to expand 0.3percent. Meanwhile, activity in the French service sector increased more than previouslyestimated in January, final data from a survey by Markit Economics revealed.A report from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said theBritish economy is likely to return to technical recession in the first half ofthis year. Across Asia/Pacific, major markets had a mixed outing. Australia's AllOrdinaries lost 0.30 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225 retreated 0.51 percent.However, China's Shanghai Composite Index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.77percent and 0.08 percent, respectively.In the U.S., futures point to a higher open on Wall Street. In the previoussession, the major averages closed on opposite sides of the unchanged line, withthe Dow posting a modest loss of 0.1 percent. The Nasdaq rose 0.4 percent andthe S&P 500 inched up 0.1 percent.In the commodity space, crude for March delivery is rising $0.53 to $96.89 perbarrel, while April gold is advancing $3.2 to $1762.5 a troy ounce.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The UK market is in positive territory after openinglower on Friday, ahead of the key monthly jobs report from the U.S. Majormarkets across Asia/Pacific ended mixed while the U.S. index futures are higher.The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks is adding 0.52 percent,while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, isrising 0.45 percent. After a weak start, the FTSE 100 index is currently adding 0.47 percent.BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are losing 1.6 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.Admiral Group is climbing over 8 percent. Man Group is gaining 3 percent.BT Group is gaining 3.6 percent. The internet service provider reported anincrease in profit for the third quarter, adding that it expects to achieve itsEBITDA target of above 6 billion pounds set for 2013 a year earlier thanplanned.Lender Barclays is climbing 1.6 percent and Royal Bank of Scotland is rising 1.7percent.Financial software provider Misys is losing 0.8 percent after confirming that itis in preliminary discussions with Temenos Group regarding a possible strategiccombination.Elsewhere in Europe, the German DAX is gaining 0.35 percent and the French CAC40 is adding 0.46 percent. Switzerland's SMI is gaining 0.41 percent.In economic news, Germany's private sector output expanded in January at thefastest pace since June 2011, but the increase was slightly weaker than theflash estimate, final data from Markit Economics showed.Eurozone retail sales fell 0.4 percent in December from the prior month,Eurostat reported Friday. Economists were expecting turnover to expand 0.3percent. Meanwhile, activity in the French service sector increased more than previouslyestimated in January, final data from a survey by Markit Economics revealed.A report from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said theBritish economy is likely to return to technical recession in the first half ofthis year. Across Asia/Pacific, major markets had a mixed outing. Australia's AllOrdinaries lost 0.30 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225 retreated 0.51 percent.However, China's Shanghai Composite Index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.77percent and 0.08 percent, respectively.In the U.S., futures point to a higher open on Wall Street. In the previoussession, the major averages closed on opposite sides of the unchanged line, withthe Dow posting a modest loss of 0.1 percent. The Nasdaq rose 0.4 percent andthe S&P 500 inched up 0.1 percent.In the commodity space, crude for March delivery is rising $0.61 to $96.97 perbarrel, while April gold is advancing $3.2 to $1762.5 a troy ounce.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The French market is in positive territory after openinglower on Friday, ahead of the key monthly jobs report from the U.S. Majormarkets across Asia/Pacific ended mixed while the U.S. index futures are higher.The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks is adding 0.37 percent,while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, isrising 0.34 percent. After the morning session in negative territory, the CAC 40 index is currentlyadding 0.52 percent.Societe Generale is climbing 4.6 percent. BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole areadvancing 1.5 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively. Deutsche Bank raised BNPParibas to 'Buy' from 'Hold.'Alcatel Lucent is adding 2.5 percent. EADS is up 2.1 percent.Peugeot and Renault are rising 1.9 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.Deutsche Bank reinitiated Carrefour with a 'Hold' rating. The stock is up 0.4percent.Cosmetics giant Loreal is losing 0.8 percent and luxury goods firm LVMH isfalling 0.7 percent.Elsewhere in Europe, the German DAX is gaining 0.38 percent and the UK's FTSE100 is adding 0.42 percent. Switzerland's SMI is losing 0.30 percent.In economic news, Germany's private sector output expanded in January at thefastest pace since June 2011, but the increase was slightly weaker than theflash estimate, final data from Markit Economics showed.Eurozone retail sales fell 0.4 percent in December from the prior month,Eurostat reported Friday. Economists were expecting turnover to expand 0.3percent. Meanwhile, activity in the French service sector increased more than previouslyestimated in January, final data from a survey by Markit Economics revealed.A report from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said theBritish economy is likely to return to technical recession in the first half ofthis year. Across Asia/Pacific, major markets had a mixed outing. Australia's AllOrdinaries lost 0.30 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225 retreated 0.51 percent.However, China's Shanghai Composite Index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.77percent and 0.08 percent, respectively.In the U.S., futures point to a higher open on Wall Street. In the previoussession, the major averages closed on opposite sides of the unchanged line, withthe Dow posting a modest loss of 0.1 percent. The Nasdaq rose 0.4 percent andthe S&P 500 inched up 0.1 percent.In the commodity space, crude for March delivery is rising $0.53 to $96.89 perbarrel, while April gold is advancing $3.2 to $1762.5 a troy ounce.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The German market is moderately higher after openinglower on Friday, ahead of the key monthly jobs report from the U.S. Majormarkets across Asia/Pacific ended mixed while the U.S. index futures are higher.The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks is adding 0.33 percent,while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, isrising 0.32 percent. Despite some early weakness, the DAX index is currently up 0.35 percent.Lufthansa is advancing about 2 percent, thus leading the gainers. MunichRe is climbing 1.9 percent. Commerzbank raised the stock to 'Buy' from'Hold.'Infineon Technologies, truckmaker MAN and steel giant ThyssenKrupp are notablyhigher.Commerzbank is up 0.9 percent, while Deutsche Bank is losing moderately.Daimler and BMW are in positive territory, while Volkswagen is losing.Retailer Fielmann is gaining 0.8 percent. Cheuvreux cut the stock to'Underperform' from 'Outperform.'Elsewhere in Europe, the French CAC 40 is gaining 0.49 percent and the UK's FTSE100 is adding 0.42 percent. Switzerland's SMI is losing 0.26 percent.In economic news, Germany's private sector output expanded in January at thefastest pace since June 2011, but the increase was slightly weaker than theflash estimate, final data from Markit Economics showed.Eurozone retail sales fell 0.4 percent in December from the prior month,Eurostat reported Friday. Economists were expecting turnover to expand 0.3percent. Meanwhile, activity in the French service sector increased more than previouslyestimated in January, final data from a survey by Markit Economics revealed.A report from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said theBritish economy is likely to return to technical recession in the first half ofthis year. Across Asia/Pacific, major markets had a mixed outing. Australia's AllOrdinaries lost 0.30 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225 retreated 0.51 percent.However, China's Shanghai Composite Index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.77percent and 0.08 percent, respectively.In the U.S., futures point to a higher open on Wall Street. In the previoussession, the major averages closed on opposite sides of the unchanged line, withthe Dow posting a modest loss of 0.1 percent. The Nasdaq rose 0.4 percent andthe S&P 500 inched up 0.1 percent.In the commodity space, crude for March delivery is rising $0.53 to $96.89 perbarrel, while April gold is advancing $3.2 to $1762.5 a troy ounce.Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX