US stocks and European shares advanced on Friday amid brisk take-over activity, while Treasury bond prices gained after soft US employment data increased expectations that the Fed may cut interest rates.
The Labour Department said only 88,000 jobs were created by US employers last month, the smallest figure in more than two years and short of the 100,000 that economists had forecast. Around the world, stock investors were cheered by the US data. MSCI's main world equity index gained 0.43 percent on the day.
On Friday the London FTSE 100 index rose 1.01 percent to close at 6,603.70 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 added 1.08 percent to reach 6,068.83. The Frankfurt DAX gained 0.54 percent to finish at 7,516.76. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading eurozone shares added 0.41 percent to close at 4,445.59.
In Asia on Friday, Hong Kong's key Hang Seng index closed up 0.77 percent on Friday at a record high 20,841.08 points as property stocks gained hopes that a government land auction next week will attract strong bids, dealers said. In Japan and China, stock markets were closed for observance of their respective Golden Week holidays.
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