Major U.S. stock-indexes lower on Friday, with the major indexes poised to close in the red for the week, after solid job growth in July pointed to an improving economy, opening the door wider for an interest rate hike in September. Wall Street took a dim view of the report as a stop to easy money will increase borrowing costs. The market has touched record highs, benefiting from near-zero interest rates for almost a decade. Nonfarm payrolls increased 215,000 last month, fewer than the 223,000 forecast by economists, but the unemployment rate held at a seven-year low of 5.3 percent.

Almost all of Dow stocks in negative area (29 of 30). Top looser - E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DD, -1.63%). Top gainer - Caterpillar Inc. (CAT, +1.01).

Almost all S&P index sectors also in negative area. Top gainer - Healthcare (-1.1%). Top looser - Utilities (+0,7%).

At the moment:

Dow 17248.00 -127.00 -0.73%

S&P 500 2065.75 -13.75 -0.66%

Nasdaq 100 4495.00 -29.75 -0.66%

10 Year yield 2,19% -0,04

Oil 44.21 -0.45 -1.01%

Gold 1093.10 +3.00 +0.28%

Polish equity market closed flat on Friday. The broad market measure, the WIG Index inched up 0.01%. From a sector perspective, telecommunications were depressed the most (-2.33%), while materials outperformed (+1.91%).

The large-cap stocks' measure, the WIG30 Index, edged up 0.01%. Within the index components, KGHM (WSE: KGH) was the biggest gainer, surging 2.49%. It was followed by PEKAO (WSE: PEO), PGE (WSE: PGE) and GTC (WSE: GTC), advancing 2.37%, 2.04% and 1.53% respectively. On the other side of the ledger, TAURON PE (WSE: TPE) fared the worst, slumping 4.75% on information about possible changes to the management board. Other major laggards were ING BSK (WSE: ING), ORANGE POLSKA (WSE: OPL) and PGNIG (WSE: PGN), tumbling 3.38%, 3.24% and 2.71% respectively.

Stock indices closed lower after the mixed U.S. labour market data. The U.S. economy added 215,000 jobs in July, missing expectations for a rise of 223,000 jobs, after a gain of 231,000 jobs in June. June's figure was revised up from a rise of 223,000 jobs.

The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.3% in July, in line with expectations. It was the lowest level since April 2008.

Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% in July, in line with forecasts, after a flat reading in June.

Investors expect the Fed to start raising its interest rates soon.

Meanwhile, the economic data from the Eurozone was mixed. German industrial production dropped 1.4% in June, missing expectations for a 0.3% gain, after a 0.2% rise in May. It was the biggest decline since August 2014.

May's figure was revised up from a flat reading.

The output of capital goods plunged 2.6% in June, energy output climbed 2.3%, and the production in the construction sector was down 4.5%, while the production of intermediate goods fell 0.3%.

The output of consumer goods decreased 0.2%.

Germany's seasonally adjusted trade surplus was €22.0 billion in June.

Exports fell at a seasonally and calendar-adjusted 1.0% in June, while imports declined 0.5%.

According to the French Customs, France's trade deficit narrowed to €2.66 billion in June from €4.0 billion in May. It was the lowest level since March 2007.

The decline in deficit was driven by a rise in exports of transport equipment.

Industrial production in France fell 0.1% in June, missing expectations for a 0.2% rise, after a 0.4% gain in May.

The decline was driven by a drop in manufacturing and construction output. Manufacturing output was down 0.7% in June, while construction output decreased 2.5%.

On a yearly basis, the French industrial production rose 1.0% in June, after a 1.6% gain in May. May's figure was revised down from a 2.4% increase.

The Bank of England (BoE) Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent said in an interview on Friday that there is no urgency to start raising interest rates. He added that "there is not that much inflationary pressure at the moment".

The BoE deputy governor pointed out that it would be foolish to pre-announce when the central bank starts to hike its interest rate.

The U.K. Office for National Statistics (ONS) released trade data for the U.K. on Friday. The U.K. trade deficit in goods widened to £9.2 billion in June from £8.4 billion in May. May's figure was revised up from a deficit of £8.00 billion.

The rise in the trade deficit was driven by a weaker demand in the Eurozone and a stronger pound.

The total trade deficit, including services, widened to £1.60 billion in June from £0.89 billion in May. May's figure was revised up from a deficit of £0.39 billion.

Indexes on the close:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,718.49 -28.60 -0.42 %

DAX 11,490.83 -94.27 -0.81 %

CAC 40 5,154.75 -37.36 -0.72 %

The Reserve Bank of Australia lowered its GDP and unemployment forecasts on Friday. The Australian GDP for 2016 was cut to 2.5%-3.5% from 2.75%-3.75%, while core inflation is expected to be 2%-3%.

The unemployment rate is expected to be below 6.5%, down from the mid to high-6% range.

"The unemployment rate is now forecast to remain little changed over the next 18 months or so from recent levels, before declining over 2017," the central bank said.

The Bank of England (BoE) Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent said in an interview on Friday that there is no urgency to start raising interest rates.

"We are clearly closer to the time at which rates may have to go up, but that does not mean we're fixing some particular point in the future," he said.

Broadbent added that "there is not that much inflationary pressure at the moment".

The BoE deputy governor pointed out that it would be foolish to pre-announce when the central bank starts to hike its interest rate.

Canada's seasonally adjusted Ivey purchasing managers' index dropped to 52.9 in June from 55.9 in May. Analysts had expected the index to decrease to 52.0.

A reading above 50 indicates a rise in the pace of activity, below 50 indicates a contraction in the pace of activity.

The supplier deliveries index was at 47.6 in June, while employment index was at 49.1.

Inventories index was at 41.2.

The Hellenic Statistical Authority released its consumer price inflation data for Greece on Friday. Greek consumer prices fell 1.3% in July, after the 0.6% increase in June.

On a yearly basis, the Greek consumer price index declined 2.2% in July, after a 2.2 drop in June. Consumer prices in Greece declined since March 2013.

Housing prices plunged at an annual rate of 7.4% in July, transport costs dropped by 3.5%, clothing and footwear prices declined 3.3%, while household equipment prices were down 2.3%.

Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased 0.9% in July, while alcoholic beverages and tobacco prices climbed by 2.1%.

Spanish statistical office INE released its industrial production figures for Spain on Friday. Industrial production in Spain was up 0.4% in June, after a 0.6% gain in May.

On a yearly basis, industrial production in Spain climbed at adjusted 4.5% in June, after a revised 3.2% increase in May.

Output of capital goods jumped 10.9% in June, output of intermediate goods climbed 0.8%, energy production was up 3.4%, while consumer goods output rose 0.8%.

U.S. stock-index futures fell slightly as investors weighed progress in the labor market and signs the economy is strong enough to withstand higher interest rates as soon as next month.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 20,724.56 +60.12 +0.3%

Hang Seng 24,552.47 +177.19 +0.7%

Shanghai Composite 3,744.41 +82.87 +2.3%

FTSE 6,731.92 -15.17 -0.2%

CAC 5,178.84 -13.27 -0.3%

DAX 11,546.67 -38.43 -0.3%

Crude oil $44.40 (-0.58%)

Gold $1083.00 (-0.62%)

The U.S. Labor Department released the labour market data on Friday. The U.S. economy added 215,000 jobs in July, missing expectations for a rise of 223,000 jobs, after a gain of 231,000 jobs in June. June's figure was revised up from a rise of 223,000 jobs.

The increase was driven by a rise in construction and manufacturing employment. Construction added 6,000 jobs in July, while the manufacturing sector added 2,000 jobs.

Factory employment climbed by 15,000, while mining sector shed 4,000 jobs.

The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.3% in July, in line with expectations. It was the lowest level since April 2008.

Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% in July, in line with forecasts, after a flat reading in June.

The labour-force participation rate remained unchanged at 62.6% in July. It was the lowest level since October 1977.

These figures added to speculation that the Fed may start to hike its interest rate soon, despite the weak wage growth figures and low inflation.

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Statistics Canada released housing market data on Friday. Building permits in Canada jumped 14.8% in June, exceeding expectations for a 5.0% rise, after a 13.9% drop in May. May's figure was revised down from a 14.5% decline.

The rise was driven by higher construction intentions for multi-family dwellings in Quebec, Alberta and Ontario, institutional buildings in Alberta and commercial buildings in British Columbia.

Building permits for non-residential construction rose 13.2% in May, while permits in the residential sector climbed 15.9%.

Statistics Canada released the labour market data on Friday. Canada's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.8% in July, in line with expectations.

The number of employed people fell by 6,600 jobs in July, beating expectations for a rise of 5,000 jobs, after a 6,400 decline in June.

The increase was driven by a rise in self- employed and part-time work. Self-employment rose by 40,500 jobs, while part-time employment climbed by 23,900 jobs.

Full-time employment declined by 17,300 in July.

The labour participation rate was 65.7% in July.

The Bank of Canada monitors closely the labour participation rate.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) released its new schedule of monetary policy meetings for the next year on Friday. The central bank will reduce the number of meetings to 8 from the current 14. The first monetary policy meeting in 2016 is scheduled to be on January 28-29.

BoJ's economic and inflation forecasts are scheduled to be released four times next year: on January 29, April 28, July 29 and November 01.

Stock indices traded slightly lower ahead of the release of the U.S. labour market data. Analysts expect that U.S. unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 5.3% in July. The U.S. economy is expected to add 218,000 jobs in July, after adding 223,000 jobs in June.

Meanwhile, the economic data from the Eurozone was mixed. German industrial production dropped 1.4% in June, missing expectations for a 0.3% gain, after a 0.2% rise in May. It was the biggest decline since August 2014.

May's figure was revised up from a flat reading.

The output of capital goods plunged 2.6% in June, energy output climbed 2.3%, and the production in the construction sector was down 4.5%, while the production of intermediate goods fell 0.3%.

The output of consumer goods decreased 0.2%.

Germany's seasonally adjusted trade surplus was €22.0 billion in June.

Exports fell at a seasonally and calendar-adjusted 1.0% in June, while imports declined 0.5%.

According to the French Customs, France's trade deficit narrowed to €2.66 billion in June from €4.0 billion in May. It was the lowest level since March 2007.

The decline in deficit was driven by a rise in exports of transport equipment.

Industrial production in France fell 0.1% in June, missing expectations for a 0.2% rise, after a 0.4% gain in May.

The decline was driven by a drop in manufacturing and construction output. Manufacturing output was down 0.7% in June, while construction output decreased 2.5%.

On a yearly basis, the French industrial production rose 1.0% in June, after a 1.6% gain in May. May's figure was revised down from a 2.4% increase.

The U.K. Office for National Statistics (ONS) released trade data for the U.K. on Friday. The U.K. trade deficit in goods widened to £9.2 billion in June from £8.4 billion in May. May's figure was revised up from a deficit of £8.00 billion.

The rise in the trade deficit was driven by a weaker demand in the Eurozone and a stronger pound.

The total trade deficit, including services, widened to £1.60 billion in June from £0.89 billion in May. May's figure was revised up from a deficit of £0.39 billion.

Current figures:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,745.15 -1.94 0.0%

DAX 11,568.35 -16.75 -0.1 %

CAC 40 5,185.98 -6.13 -0.1 %

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said at a press conference on Friday that the timing for achieving 2% inflation target depends on oil prices. He added that low oil prices affect inflation, the central bank will adjust its monetary policy.

Kuroda pointed that a low oil prices are positive for Japan's economy.

The BoJ governor said that household sentiment continues to recover, but consumer spending remains weak.

Kuroda expect inflation to increase later this fiscal year.

He noted that there should be no market turbulences if the Fed starts raising its interest rate this year as this development is already priced in.

The U.K. Office for National Statistics (ONS) released trade data for the U.K. on Friday. The U.K. trade deficit in goods widened to £9.2 billion in June from £8.4 billion in May. May's figure was revised up from a deficit of £8.00 billion.

The rise in the trade deficit was driven by a weaker demand in the Eurozone and a stronger pound.

The total trade deficit, including services, widened to £1.60 billion in June from £0.89 billion in May. May's figure was revised up from a deficit of £0.39 billion.

The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs released its unemployment data for Switzerland on Friday. The Swiss unemployment rate remained unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 3.3% in July.

On a seasonally unadjusted basis, the unemployment rate in Switzerland remained unchanged at 3.1% in July.

The number of unemployed people in Switzerland rose to 133,754 in July from 133,256 in June.

The youth unemployment rate was up to 3.0% in July from 2.8% in June.

The French statistical office Insee its industrial production figures on Friday. Industrial production in France fell 0.1% in June, missing expectations for a 0.2% rise, after a 0.4% gain in May.

The decline was driven by a drop in manufacturing and construction output. Manufacturing output was down 0.7% in June, while construction output decreased 2.5%.

Output in mining and quarrying, energy, water supply and waste management rose 2.2% in June.

On a yearly basis, the French industrial production rose 1.0% in June, after a 1.6% gain in May. May's figure was revised down from a 2.4% increase.

According to the French Customs, France's trade deficit narrowed to €2.66 billion in June from €4.0 billion in May. It was the lowest level since March 2007.

The decline in deficit was driven by a rise in exports of transport equipment.

Destatis released its trade data for Germany on Friday. Germany's seasonally adjusted trade surplus was €22.0 billion in June.

Exports fell at a seasonally and calendar-adjusted 1.0% in June, while imports declined 0.5%.

On an annual basis, exports were up 13.7% in June, while imports increased 6.4%.

Germany's current account surplus was at €24.4 billion in June, up from €11.8 billion in May.

Destatis released its industrial production data for Germany on Friday. German industrial production dropped 1.4% in June, missing expectations for a 0.3% gain, after a 0.2% rise in May. It was the biggest decline since August 2014.

May's figure was revised up from a flat reading.

The output of capital goods plunged 2.6% in June, energy output climbed 2.3%, and the production in the construction sector was down 4.5%, while the production of intermediate goods fell 0.3%.

The output of consumer goods decreased 0.2%.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) released its interest rate decision on Friday. The BoJ kept its monetary policy unchanged (interest rate: 0.00-0.10%, monetary base target: 275 trillion yen). The central bank will expand its monetary base at an annual pace of 80 trillion yen. This decision was expected by analysts.

The BoJ board members voted 8-1 to keep monetary policy unchanged.

The BoJ noted that the country's economy continued to recover moderately.

The European Central Bank Governing Council member Bostjan Jazbec said on Thursday that the central bank's quantitative easing (QE) was working.

"I think QE is working, that the results are there and that all other options are off the table as we clearly have evidence that we are on the right track," he said.

Jazbec is convinced that the inflation in the Eurozone will reach the central bank's 2% target in the medium term.

The European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said on Thursday that a deal between Greece and its creditors could be reached by August 20.

"What President Juncker himself said yesterday in an interview remains valid that the negotiations with the Greek authorities are 'progressing in a satisfactory way', that he believes 'an agreement this month preferably before August 20 is possible' because, as you know, August 20 is the date for an important payment to the ECB," she said.

According to the German newspaper Bild, the German government doubts that a deal on a third bailout programme for Greece can be reached in August. The government believes that Greece will need another bridge loan.

Greece repaid €186.3 million loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday.

"Greece has paid the interest charges due to the IMF today," the IMF said in a statement.

The next Greek repayment to the IMF is scheduled for September 01.

U.S. stock indices fell with media companies leading declines amid concerns that consumers turn TVs off and favor other sources of information.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 120.72 points, or 0.69%, to 17419.75. The S&P 500 dropped 16.28, or 0.78%, to 2083.56. The Nasdaq Composite lost 83.50, or 1.62%, to 5056.44.

Shares of Viacom fell 14% after the media company published a weak earnings report.

Investors were also cautious ahead of U.S. employment data. Labor market is one of key factors the Fed considers when making decisions about interest rates. The Labor Department reported on Thursday that initial jobless claims rose by 3,000 to 270,000 in the week ended August 1. Economists had forecast 271,000 new claims.

This morning in Asia Hong Kong Hang Seng climbed 0.94%, or 228.76 points, to 24,604.04. China Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.90%, or 69.49 points, to 3,731.03. The Nikkei gained 0.32%, or 66.03 points, to 20,730.47.

Asian stocks mostly climbed ahead of U.S. payrolls data. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan voted to keep its massive monetary stimulus program at the current level, and maintained its assessment of the economy. The decision generally met expectations, that's why markets showed little reaction to the announcement.

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

Hang Seng 24,375.28 -138.88 -0.57%

S&P/ASX 200 5,610.1 -63.87 -1.13%

Shanghai Composite 3,662 -32.58 -0.88%

Topix 1,673.58 +7.73 +0.46%

FTSE 100 6,747.09 -5.32 -0.08%

CAC 40 5,192.11 -4.62 -0.09%

Xetra DAX 11,585.1 -51.20 -0.44%

S&P 500 2,083.56 -16.28 -0.78%

NASDAQ Composite 5,056.44 -83.50 -1.62%

Dow Jones 17,419.75 -120.72 -0.69%