The main US stock markets after sharp fluctuations closed below the zero mark. The US missile strike on Syria forced investors to look for safe areas, while weak workplace data affected financial stocks.

Employers from the US added the lowest number of employees in 10 months in March, but the decline in the unemployment rate to a nearly 10-year low of 4.5% showed that the labor market continues to tighten. The number of non-farm workers increased by 98,000 jobs last month, as the retail sector lost its jobs for the second consecutive month, the Ministry of Labor said on Friday. This was the smallest growth since May last year. Economists predicted that last month employment growth was 180,000, while unemployment remained unchanged at 4.7%.

At the same time, the report published by the Ministry of Trade showed that wholesale stocks in the US increased in February in accordance with the estimates of economists. According to the data, wholesale stocks increased by 0.4 percent in February after a decrease of 0.2 percent in January. Inventories of non-durable goods in February rose by 0.7% after falling by 0.2% in January, while oil and agricultural products increased significantly.

Components of the DOW index finished the trades in different directions (20 in negative territory, 10 in positive territory). The shares of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company fell more than others (DD, -0.84%). Leader of growth were shares of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT, + 2.11%).

Most sectors of the S & P index showed negative dynamics. The utilities sector fell most of all (-0.5%). The leader of growth was the sector of industrial goods (+ 0.3%).

At closing:

Dow -0.03% 20.656.03 -6.92

Nasdaq -0.02% 5,877.81 -1.14

S & P -0.08% 2,355.58 -1.91

Major U.S. stock-indexes little changed in choppy trading on Friday after a U.S. missile strike on Syria sent investors scurrying to safe-havens, while weak jobs data weighed on financial stocks. U.S. employers added about 98,000 jobs in March, well below economists' expectation of 180,000. While the job additions were the lowest in 10 months, the Labor Department report was seen as an outlier amid a spate of recent positive economic data.

Dow stocks mixed (15 vs 15). Top loser - The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS, -0.72%). Top gainer - Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT, +1.86%).

Most of S&P sectors in positive area. Top loser - Financials (-0.1%). Top gainer - Industrial goods (+0.5%).

At the moment:

Dow 20616.00 +11.00 +0.05%

S&P 500 2354.75 +1.00 +0.04%

Nasdaq 100 5424.25 +1.50 +0.03%

Oil 52.23 +0.53 +1.03%

Gold 1267.30 +14.00 +1.12%

U.S. 10yr 2.34 -0.01

EURUSD: 1.0550 (EUR 360m) 1.0600 (EUR 3.1bln) 1.0620-30 (470m) 1.0650-60 (485m) (605m) 1.0700 (425m) 1.0730-40 (1bln) 1.0765-75 (1.13bln) 1.0800-10 (795m)

USDJPY: 110.00 (USD 910m) 110.50 (370m) 110.80-110.95 (620m) 111.30-40 (805m) 111.50 (1.08bln) 111.85-112.00 (1.57bln) 112.50-112.65 (500m)

GBPUSD: 1.2420-30 (GBP 225m) 1.2490-1.2500 (545m)

USDCHF 1.0000 (USD 225m)

AUDUSD: 0.7570-75 (AUD 305m) 0.7600 (AUD 687m) 0.7650 (731m)

USDCAD: 1.3350 (USD 504m) 1.3380 (230m) 1.3410 (325m) 1.3450-60 (530m) 1.3500-1.3510 (588m)

NZDUSD 0.6985 (405m)

U.S. stock-index rose fell on the back of weak jobs data and news the U.S. Navy launched a missile attack on the Shayrat airbase in Syria.

Stocks:

Nikkei 18,664.63 +67.57 +0.36%

Hang Seng 24,267.30 -6.42 -0.03%

Shanghai 3,287.02 +6.02 +0.18%

FTSE 7,299.69 -3.51 -0.05%

CAC 5,104.84 -16.60 -0.32%

DAX 12,156.59 -74.30 -0.61%

Crude $52.00 (+0.58%)

Gold $1,270.90 (+1.40%)

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

Upgrades:

Wal-Mart (WMT) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Telsey Advisory Group; target raised to $82

Downgrades:

Other:

Walt Disney (DIS) target raised to $116 from $113 at FBR & Co.; Market Perform

FedEx (FDX) initiated with a Buy at Loop Capital; target $234

In March, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 5 cents to $26.14, following a 7-cent increase in February. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 68 cents, or 2.7 percent. In March, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 4 cents to $21.90.

Employment was little changed in March (+19,000 or +0.1%), while the unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 6.7% as more people searched for work.

In the first quarter of 2017, employment gains totalled 83,000 or 0.5%. This growth is comparable to the last quarter of 2016 (+91,000 or +0.5%) and notably higher than the first quarter of 2016 (+36,000 or +0.2%).

Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased by 276,000 (+1.5%), mostly in full-time work. Over the same period, the total number of hours worked rose 0.7%.

The unemployment rate declined to 4.5 percent in March, and total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 98,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in professional and business services and in mining, while retail trade lost jobs.

The unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage point to 4.5 percent in March, and the number of unemployed persons declined by 326,000 to 7.2 million. Both measures were down over the year.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult women (4.0 percent), Whites (3.9 percent), and Hispanics (5.1 percent) declined in March. The jobless rates for adult men (4.3 percent), teenagers (13.7 percent), Blacks (8.0 percent), and Asians (3.3 percent) showed little or no change.

EUR/USD

Offers: 1.0655 1.0670 1.0685 1.0700 1.0730 1.0750

Bids: 1.0625-30 1.0600 1.0580 1.0565 1.0550

GBP/USD

Offers: 1.2480 1.2500 1.2520 1.2550-55 1.2585 1.2600

Bids: 1.2435 1.2420 1.2400 1.2375-80 1.2350 1.2330 1.2300

EUR/JPY

Offers: 118.00 118.30 118.50 118.65 118.80 119.00

Bids: 117.50 117.30 117.00 116.85 116.50 116.00

EUR/GBP

Offers: 0.8555-60 0.8580 0.8600 0.8630 0.8650

Bids: 0.8530 0.8500 0.8485 0.8465 0.8450 0.8430 0.8400

USD/JPY

Offers: 110.80-85 111.00 111.20 111.50 111.80 112.00

Bids: 110.25-30 110.00 109.85 109.65 109.50

AUD/USD

Offers: 0.7550 0.7565 0.7580 0.7600 0.76200.7650

Bids: 0.7500 0.7485 0.7450 0.7425-30 0.7400

• Russia's security council discussed continuation of Russian air deployment in Syria

• Russia's security council worried over unavoidable negative consequences for fighting terrorism

• Must work for political solution on Syria

Output in the construction industry grew for the fourth consecutive period on a 3 month on 3 month basis, increasing by 1.5%.

Despite growing 3 month on 3 month, output fell by 1.7% in February 2017 in comparison to January 2017.

On the back of strong growth in January 2017, infrastructure provided one of the main downward pressures on output in February, decreasing by 7.3%.

New housing also contributed to the monthly decrease in overall output, falling month-on-month by 2.6% in February 2017.

Repair and maintenance grew in February, increasing month-on-month by 1.2%; month on year by 0.8%; and 3 month on 3 month by 0.6%.

The deficit on trade in goods and services widened to £3.7 billion in February 2017 from a revised deficit of £3.0 billion in January 2017, predominantly due to an increase in imports of erratic goods; excluding erratic goods, the trade deficit narrowed to £2.5 billion in February 2017 from a revised deficit of £3.0 billion in January 2017.

In the 3 months to February 2017, the deficit on trade in goods and services narrowed to £8.5 billion, reflecting a higher increase in exports than imports, mainly due to increases in exports of machinery and transport equipment, oil and chemicals; the deficit on trade in goods excluding oil and erratic commodities widened in the 3 months to February, continuing the trend seen in the rolling 3-month period since August 2016.

Trade prices continue to be influenced by recent sterling movements, with export and import prices falling between January and February 2017, coinciding with an increase in volumes.

In the 3 months to February 2017, manufacturing increased by 2.1% (unchanged from the 3 months to January 2017), continuing its strongest growth since May 2010 - total production was estimated to have increased by 1.6%, with manufacturing providing the largest contribution.

The transport equipment sector provided the largest contribution to the manufacturing increase, along with smaller upwards contributions from a range of other manufacturing industries.

In February 2017, total production decreased by 0.7% compared with January 2017 with falls in all four main sectors, with electricity and gas providing the largest downward contribution, decreasing by 3.4%.

EUR/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.0831 (521)

$1.0799 (1071)

$1.0752 (462)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.0650

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.0602 (502)

$1.0562 (736)

$1.0512 (1641)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date June, 9 is 48848 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,1000 (4025);

- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date June, 9 is 56033 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,0400 (5303);

- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 1.15 versus 1.11 from the previous trading day according to data from April, 6

GBP/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.2709 (783)

$1.2613 (368)

$1.2518 (934)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.2466

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.2387 (568)

$1.2290 (423)

$1.2193 (550)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date June, 9 is 15547 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3000 (1365);

- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date June, 9 is 16971 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,1500 (3063);

- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 1.09 versus 1.11 from the previous trading day according to data from April, 6

* - The Chicago Mercantile Exchange bulletin (CME) is used for the calculation.

** - Open interest takes into account the total number of option contracts that are open at the moment.

In February 2017, production in industry was up by 2.2% from the previous month on a price, seasonally and working day adjusted basis according to provisional data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). In January 2017, the corrected figure shows an increase of 2.2% (primary + 2.8%) from December 2016.

In February 2017, production in industry excluding energy and construction was up by 0.9%. Within industry, the production of capital goods increased by 1.1% and the production of consumer goods by 1.4%. The production of intermediate goods showed an increase by 0.4%. Energy production was up by 0.6% in February 2017 and the production in construction increased by 13.6%

Germany exported goods to the value of 102.3 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 82.4 billion euros in February 2017. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 3.1% and imports by 3.7% in February 2017 year on year. Exports and imports showed diverging month-on-month trends on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis. While exports rose by 0.8% on January 2017, imports were down 1.6%.

The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 19.9 billion euros in February 2017. In February 2016, the surplus amounted to 19.8 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 21.0 billion euros in February 2017.

Registered unemployment in March 2017 - according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) surveys, 152,280 unemployed persons were registered at the Regional Employment Services Centers (RAV) at the end of March 2017, 7,529 less than in the previous month. The unemployment rate thus fell from 3.6% in February 2017 to 3.4% in the reporting month. Compared to the previous month, unemployment fell by 3,044 (-2.0%). Youth unemployment in March 2017 Youth unemployment (15 to 24 year olds) decreased by 1,545 persons (-8.1%) to 17,563.

• Saudi Arabia expresses full support for the U.S air strike in Syria - Arabiya tv

• Head of Russian Upper House of parliament defence committee says Russia will call for urgent U.N security council meeting after U.S attack on Syria - Ria

European stocks ended slightly higher on Thursday, after swinging between gains and losses through the session, as investors were reluctant to take any big risks ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

U.S. stocks closed off intraday highs Thursday as President Donald Trump hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for their first official meeting, as investors sought clues to how the leaders of the world's economic powerhouses will tackle trade and geopolitical issues.

Asian equity markets erased early gains and the yen and oil prices rose sharply after the U.S. launched cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase in response to a recent chemical attack. The strikes represented the first time a U.S. military operation has deliberately targeted the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.