Major US stock indices grew moderately on Friday after data indicated a steady increase in employment in the US.

So, the growth of jobs in the US increased at a strong pace in November, and salaries were restored, outlining a portrait of a healthy economy, which, according to analysts, does not require the financial incentive offered by US President Donald Trump. Last month, the number of jobs in the non-agricultural sector increased by 228,000 jobs against a background of broad-based growth, as distortions from recent hurricanes disappeared, the Ministry of Labor said on Friday. Data for October were revised, and showed that the economy added 244,000 jobs instead of the previously announced 261,000.

In addition, preliminary research results submitted by Thomson-Reuters and the Michigan Institute showed that the mood sensor among US consumers fell in December despite the average forecasts of experts. According to the data, in December the consumer sentiment index fell to 96.8 points compared to the final reading for November at 98.5 points. According to average estimates, the index had to grow to a level of 99 points.

Wholesale inventories in the US fell by 0.5% in October, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. Economists had expected merchandise stocks in wholesale warehouses to fall by 0.4% after rising 0.1% in the previous month. Companies could not keep pace with production because of a combination of growing demand and supply disruptions caused by hurricanes in the previous month. However, inventories grew by 3.9% year-on-year. Wholesale sales grew by 0.7% in October.

Most of the components of the DOW index recorded an increase (22 out of 30). The leader of growth was shares of Microsoft Corporation (MSFT, + 2.02%). Outsider were the shares of The Coca-Cola Company (KO, -1.03%).

Almost all sectors of S & P completed trading with an increase. The healthcare sector grew most (+ 1.2%). Decrease showed only the sector of conglomerates (-0.6%).

At closing:

Dow + 0.49% 24.329.16 +117.68

Nasdaq + 0.40% 6,840.08 +27.24

S & P + 0.55% 2.651.50 +14.52

Consumer sentiment has remained quite favorable although it continued to slowly recede in early December from its October cyclical peak. Most of the recent decline was concentrated in the long-term prospects for the economy, while consumers thought current economic conditions have continued to improve. Importantly, the largest decline in long-term economic prospects was recorded among Democrats, which reflected their concerns about the impact of the proposed changes in taxes.

U.S. stock-index futures were mixed on Thursday as the latest jobs report signaled strength in the U.S. labour market. Additional support was provided by the fact that the possibility of a government shutdown was put off for another two weeks on Thursday evening, as well as news that the U.K. and the European Union have reached an agreement on Brexit divorce terms.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 22,811.08 +313.05 +1.39%

Hang Seng 28,639.85 +336.66 +1.19%

Shanghai 3,290.17 +18.11 +0.55%

S&P/ASX 5,994.37 +16.65 +0.28%

FTSE 7,392.39 +71.64 +0.98%

CAC 5,409.22 +25.36 +0.47%

DAX 13,198.43 +153.28 +1.17%

Crude $57.59 (+1.59%)

Gold $1,295.00 (+0.01%)

Canadian industries operated at 85.0% of their production capacity in the third quarter, up from 84.3% the previous quarter. This was the fifth consecutive quarterly increase.

The increase in the third quarter was mainly driven by construction and electric power generation, transmission and distribution.

In non-manufacturing industries, increased capacity utilization in construction, electric power generation, transmission and distribution, and mining and quarrying were partly offset by a decline in oil and gas extraction, forestry and logging.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 228,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in professional and business services, manufacturing, and health care.

The unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent in November, and the number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged at 6.6 million. Over the year, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons were down by 0.5 percentage point and 799,000, respectively

In November, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 5 cents to $26.55. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 64 cents, or 2.5 percent. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 5 cents to $22.24 in November.

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

• Says UK is very keen to have an implementation period agreed as soon as possible, welcomes EU urgency on this issue

• We are leaving the single market and customs union in march 2019

• Would expect May to make a statement to parliament next week on the brexit agreement, subject to parliamentary calendar

Construction output contracted for the sixth consecutive period in the three-month on three-month time series, falling by 1.4% in October 2017.

The three-month on three-month fall in construction output stemmed from falls in both repair and maintenance, and all new work, which fell by 3% and 0.6% respectively.

Construction output also contracted month-on-month in October 2017, decreasing 1.7%, in part due to a 1.5% fall in all new work.

New orders saw record growth in Quarter 3 (July to September) 2017, growing by 37.4% compared with the previous quarter.

The record growth was driven predominantly by growth in the infrastructure sector, caused by the awarding of several high-value new orders relating to High Speed 2 (HS2).

Erratic commodities (including non-monetary gold) had a large impact on headline movements in the three months to October 2017; the total UK trade (goods and services) deficit excluding erratic commodities widened by £0.8 billion to £6.9 billion.

The trade in goods deficit with non-EU countries narrowed by £2.9 billion, while the deficit with EU countries widened by £1.2 billion in the three months to October 2017; excluding erratics, the deficit with EU countries widened by £1.9 billion due to a larger increase in imports.

The UK's total trade deficit (goods and services) excluding erratic commodities narrowed by £0.1 billion between September 2017 and October 2017, due primarily to a decrease in goods imports of crude oil from non-EU countries.

In the three months to October 2017, the Index of Production was estimated to have increased by 1.2% compared with the three months to July 2017, due mainly to a rise of 1.2% in manufacturing.

The largest contribution to the rise in manufacturing in the three months to October 2017 came from transport equipment, which rose by 2.5% followed by other manufacturing and repair, which rose by 2.8%.

In October 2017, total production was estimated to have remained flat at 0.0% compared with September 2017; energy supply provided the largest downward contribution, decreasing by 3.3%, mainly because of unseasonably warm temperatures in October 2017, whilst the other three main sectors provided upward contributions, of which mining and quarrying was the largest.

China's exports expanded much faster than expected in November but the annual increase in imports outpaced export growth, data from the General Administration of Customs, cited by rttnews.

In dollar terms, exports advanced 12.3 percent year-over-year in November, well above the 5.9 percent rise economists had forecast.

Similarly, imports surged 17.7 percent in November from a year ago, faster than the expected growth of 13.0 percent.

As a result, the trade surplus totaled $40.2 billion in November. The surplus was forecast to fall to $35.0 billion from about $38.2 billion in October.

Germany exported goods to the value of 108.0 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 89.1 billion euros in October 2017. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 6.8% and imports by 8.3% in October 2017 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were down 0.4% and imports up 1.8% compared with September 2017.

The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 18.9 billion euros in October 2017. In October 2016, the surplus amounted to 18.8 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 19.9 billion euros in October 2017

EUR/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.1854 (3947)

$1.1813 (6026)

$1.1780 (3793)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.1749

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.1697 (5505)

$1.1649 (5982)

$1.1599 (8584)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options and PUT options with the expiration date December, 8 is 165033 contracts (according to data from December, 7) with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,1500 (8825);

GBP/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.3608 (3321)

$1.3566 (2606)

$1.3530 (3490)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.3488

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.3441 (1739)

$1.3384 (1298)

$1.3343 (1563)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date December, 8 is 56167 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3400 (3804);

- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date December, 8 is 49357 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3000 (3851);

- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 0.88 versus 0.89 from the previous trading day according to data from December, 7

* - 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.

Asia-Pacific equities were broadly higher Friday, with fresh early weakness in China and Korea reversing. South Korea's Kospi SEU, +0.29% , which started the day in negative territory, was recently up 0.1% and Samsung 005930, +2.44% rebounded 1.8%. The index had only just set an eight-week closing low Thursday.

Stocks across Europe wobbled into the close on Thursday, settling slightly higher as traders digested deal news and economic growth data. U.K. stocks underperformed the wider market, hurt by a rise in the pound on hopes U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is making progress in Brexit talks.

The main U.S. stock benchmarks closed moderately higher Thursday, with the S&P 500 snapping a four-session losing streak on the back of gains in the technology, industrials and materials sectors. Traders focused on continued progress on tax legislation and looked ahead to the monthly jobs report due Friday.

(raw materials / closing price /% change)

Oil 56.60 -0.16%

Gold 1249.30 -0.30%

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei +320.99 22498.03 +1.45%

TOPIX +20.83 1786.25 +1.18%

Hang Seng +78.39 28303.19 +0.28%

CSI 300 -44.76 3971.06 -1.11%

Euro Stoxx 50 +11.56 3573.13 +0.32%

FTSE 100 -27.28 7320.75 -0.37%

DAX +46.30 13045.15 +0.36%

CAC 40 +9.51 5383.86 +0.18%

DJIA +70.57 24211.48 +0.29%

S&P 500 +7.71 2636.98 +0.29%

NASDAQ +36.47 6812.84 +0.54%

S&P/TSX +106.90 16015.68 +0.67%

(pare/closed(GMT +3)/change, %)

EUR/USD $1,1772 -0,20%

GBP/USD $1,3473 +0,60%

USD/CHF Chf0,99419 +0,44%

USD/JPY Y113,07 +0,70%

EUR/JPY Y133,31 +0,65%

GBP/JPY Y152,348 +1,30%

AUD/USD $0,7512 -0,67%

NZD/USD $0,6829 -0,74%

USD/CAD C$1,28532 +0,52%