U.S. stocks opened on a downbeat note this morning following the release of weekly jobless claims data.
Following the market opening Friday, the Dow traded down 1.29% to 33,360.18 while the NASDAQ fell 1.35% to 13,354.95. The S&P also fell, dropping, 1.30% to 4,306.68.
Check out this: Insiders Buy Around $98M Of 3 Stocks
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Energy shares climbed by 1.2% on Friday. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Indonesia Energy Corporation Limited (NYSE:INDO), up 32% and (NYSE:OXY) up 7%.
In trading on Friday, financials shares fell by 2.4%.
Top Headline
The U.S. economy added 678,000 jobs in February, adding the most in seven months. However, analysts were expecting a reading of 400,000. The unemployment rate slipped to 3.8% in February from 4% in the prior month.
Equities Trading UP
Indonesia Energy Corporation Limited (NASDAQ:INDO) shares shot up 47% to $29.75 after jumping 39% on Thursday.
Shares of Sweetgreen, Inc. (NYSE:SG) got a boost, shooting 19% to $25.35 after the company reported better-than-expected Q4 sales results and issued FY22 sales guidance above analyst estimates.
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU) shares were also up, gaining 14% to $5.12. Sidus Space reported a strategic partnership with Aitech Systems to support LizzeSat Constellation.
Also check this: Cisco Systems And 3 Other Stocks Sold By Insiders
Equities Trading DOWN
Cerberus Cyber Sentinel Corporation (NASDAQ:CISO) shares tumbled 21% to $4.8050 after gaining 24% on Thursday.
Shares of Ocugen, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCGN) were down 21% to $2.5950 after the company announced the FDA declined to issue an EUA for COVAXIN for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 2 to 18 years of age.
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) was down, falling 18% to $14.61 after the company reported worse-than-expected Q3 adjusted EPS and sales results.
Also check out: Executives Buy Around $1M Of 5 Penny Stocks
Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded up 5.2% to $113.36, while gold traded up 0.9% to $1,953.60.
Silver traded up 1.3% Friday to $25.55 while copper rose 2.1% to $4.8835.
Euro zone
European shares were lower today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 fell 2.9%, London’s FTSE 100 fell 3.4%, while Spain’s IBEX 35 Index fell 3%. The German DAX dropped 3.6%, French CAC 40 dipped 3.5% and Italy’s FTSE MIB Index fell 4.8%.
The IHS Markit Italy construction PMI rose to a new series high of 68.5 in February, while German construction PMI rose to 54.9 in February. The IHS Markit French construction PMI slipped to 50 in February from 52 in the prior month, while industrial production increased 1.6% from a month ago in January.
Economics
The U.S. economy added 678,000 jobs in February, adding the most in seven months. However, analysts were expecting a reading of 400,000. The unemployment rate slipped to 3.8% in February from 4% in the prior month.
The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Check out this: Executives Sell More Than $47M Of 5 Stocks
Check out the full economic calendar here
COVID-19 Update
The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world, reporting a total of 80,843,570 cases with around 981,720 deaths. India confirmed a total of at least 42,951,550 cases and 514,620 deaths, while Brazil reported over 28,906,210 COVID-19 cases with 650,640 deaths. In total, there were at least 442,827,790 cases of COVID-19 worldwide with more than 6,004,220 deaths.
