Dow, S&P hit records with jobs data, European stocks still positive

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - Dow Jones and S&P 500 hit new record high levels on Friday after strong jobs report in the US, while European indexes were still heading firmly to stay on positive territory.

Shortly after the US stock market opening, the Dow Jones climbed to 35,246, while the S&P 500 hit 4,440 points -- both all-time highs.

Despite the higher opening, the Nasdaq decreased 34, or 0.23%, to 14,860.

The gains came after the Department of Labor announced that the US economy added 943,000 jobs in July beating the market estimate of 870,000. The unemployment rate fell to 5.4%, also beating the market expectation of 5.7%.

The strong data provided a positive outlook for the economy and confidence among investors, as the VIX volatility index, known as the fear index, fell for the second consecutive day by shedding another 3% to 16.76.

The yield on 10-year US Treasury notes increased 4.9% to 1.277, and the dollar index rose 0.4% to $92.61 at 8.45 a.m. EDT (1245GMT).

Precious metals extended their losses to the second day in a row. Gold declined 2.2% to $1,764 per ounce and silver plummeted 3.4% to $24.29.

Oil prices showed losses with Brent crude falling 0.4% to $71 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate stood at $68.55 with a 0.8% decline.

In Europe, major indices have continued to stay on positive territory with strong financial results from major companies.

Denmark-based Maersk, the world's largest container shipping line and vessel operator, saw its revenue rise 44% to $26.7 billion during the first six months of this year and up 58% to $14.2 billion in the first quarter year-on-year.

France's CAC 40 extended its record to 6,831.03 points after 1415GMT.

STOXX Europe 600, which includes around 90% of the market capitalization of the European market in 17 countries, reached a new all-time high of 471.03 points at the time.

London's FTSE 100 and Germany DAX 30 added 0.1% and 0.4%, respectively, to reach 7,130 and 15,804 points.

Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.46% to hit 8,877, while Italy's Borsa Italiana FTSE MIB 30 showed the largest gain by reaching a record of 26,035.05 points