Investors focus on U.S. data

Stocks rose ahead of a series of earnings reports later in the day and after fresh labour-market data provided insight on the pace of the recovery.

The S&P 500 ended Thursday up 13.13 points, or 0.30%, to 4460.83. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 14.88 points, or 0.04%, to 35499.85. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 51.13 points, or 0.35%, to 14816.26.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note ticked up to 1.366%, the highest in nearly a month, from 1.339% on Wednesday.

European equities edged higher on Friday as miners and retailers advanced, with the Stoxx 600 Index heading toward a tenth straight record close in what would be the longest streak since 1999.

Stoxx 600 Europe Index gained 0.11%, DAX increased by 0.70%, and CAC 40 climbed 0.36%, while FTSE 100 dropped by 0.37%.

Euro zone government bonds were unchanged to slightly firmer on Thursday, with Germany’s benchmark Bund holding just below a two-week high as markets continued to digest signs of easing inflationary pressures in the United States.

Asian stocks fell for a second day, set to erase the week’s advance, as technology heavyweights dropped on a combination of concerns over China regulations and chip demand.

The biggest drags were a gauge including the largest memory chipmakers and a measure of consumer discretionary stocks including Alibaba Group. South Korea’s benchmark slid most in the region as Samsung Electronics sank to its lowest level since December.

Oil prices fell on Thursday after the International Energy Agency (IEA) said the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus would slow the recovery of global oil demand.

Brent crude futures price was $71.31 a barrel on Thursday, down 0.18%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures stood at $68.57 down 0.75%.