The main US stock indexes traded mixed, but the session ended almost unchanged. The dynamics of the trades were affected by the fall in quotations of Costco and shares in the energy sector, along with negative sentiment due to a report that reflected the decline in employment in the US for the first time in seven years.

So, the number of employees in the US fell in September, as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma left the displaced workers temporarily unemployed and delayed hiring, which was the last indication that hurricanes undermine economic activity in the third quarter. The Ministry of Labor reported that the number of people employed in the non-agricultural sector fell by 33,000 amid a record fall in employment in the leisure and hospitality sector. Economists predicted an increase in employment by 90,000. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percent, to 4.2 percent, the lowest since February 2001. The average hourly earnings increased by 0.5 percent after an increase of 0.2 percent in August. This pushed the annual salary growth to 2.9 percent from 2.7 percent in August.

Most components of the DOW index finished trading in the red (16 of 30). Outsider were shares of Verizon Communications Inc., (VZ, -1.93%). The leader of growth was the shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV, + 0.49%).

Almost all S & P sectors recorded a decline. The largest decrease was in the base resources sector (-0.8%). The technological sector grew the most (+ 0.2%)

At closing:

Dow -0.01% 22.773.67 -1.72

Nasdaq + 0.07% 6,590.18 +4.82

S & P -0.11% 2.549.33 -2.74

U.S. stock-index futures were lower on Friday as investors assessed Employment Situation Report for September.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 20,690.71 +62.15 +0.30%

Hang Seng 28,458.04 +78.86 +0.28%

Shanghai -

S&P/ASX 5,710.68 +58.91 +1.04%

FTSE 7,522.87 +14.88 +0.20%

CAC 5,369.89 -9.32 -0.17%

DAX 12,974.50 +6.45 +0.05%

Crude $49.72 (-2.11%)

Gold $1,270.80 (-0.18%)

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

European stocks ended a volatile session mainly higher on Thursday after Madrid suspended a parliamentary session in Catalonia in an attempt to block the region from declaring independence. The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, +0.16% ended 0.2% higher at 391.03, rising for a 10th out of the past 11 session.

U.S. stock-market indexes posted solid gains and closed at all-time highs on Thursday after Congress passed a budget resolution-a step seen as setting the stage for an overhaul of the tax code.

Stock markets in Asia posted broad gains Friday morning as Hong Kong's benchmark index briefly reached its best level in a decade and Japan's Nikkei moved closer to levels last seen in 1996. The latest leg higher for stock markets, including new records in the U.S., has been helped by fresh comments from central bankers interpreted in support of a December interest-rate increase. Fed-fund futures now show a 87% probability of an increase then, versus 78% on Tuesday, according to CME Group data.