In European Equity Markets the pan-European Stoxx 600 Index closed up around 0.4% during Friday trade, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory. Looking at individual stocks, Societe Generale was also trading higher. It comes after France’s third-largest bank said its restructuring plan was starting to bear fruit. However, the lender reported a first-quarter profit fell 26% when compared to the same period a year earlier. Shares rose nearly 1.5% Friday. Banking giant HSBC rose 1.8% after it beat market expectations.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar fell against a basket of currencies on Friday as traders focused on the weaker aspects in the April U.S. payrolls report, brushing aside a stronger-than-forecast in hiring and a drop in the jobless rate to an over 49-year low. Traders turned their attention to the modest 0.2% monthly pace of wage growth and the decline in the job participation rate, which analysts blamed for the catalysts for some selling in the greenback. The euro was up 0.17% at $1.11915, while the dollar was 0.25% weaker at 111.24 yen.

In Commodities Markets oil prices were on track Friday for weekly declines as surging U.S. output countered production losses in sanctions-hit Iran and Venezuela. Brent crude oil futures were at $70.71 a barrel, down 4 cents and set for their first weekly loss after five weeks of gains. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 2 cents at $61.83, poised for a second straight weekly decline. U.S. crude oil production reached a record 12.3 million barrels per day last week, rising by about 2 million bpd over the past year.

In US Equity Markets indices gained on Friday, as a surge in job additions in April pointed to a solid domestic economy, while a steady rise in wages backed the Federal Reserve’s patient view on interest rate hikes. The S&P 500 was up 0.49%, at 2,931.83 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.63%, at 8,087.79. Amazon.com Inc rose 2%, after CNBC reported Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc has bought shares of internet retailing giant for the first time, though he has not been the one doing the buying.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell from 1-1/2-week highs on Friday as government data showed strong jobs growth in April matched what many traders had expected, while wage gains were muted. Benchmark 10-year notes were last up 3/32 in price on the day to yield 2.543 percent, down from 2.552 percent on Thursday. Yields have risen since Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday gave a more bullish take on inflation and the economy than expected.