On Friday, December 6, U.S. markets closed mixed as the Nasdaq and S&P 500 hit record highs, driven by strong forecasts and encouraging jobs data that boosted expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, while declines in health insurance stocks pressured the Dow to close lower.

According to economic data, nonfarm payrolls increased by 227,000, significantly exceeding expectations and reflecting strong job growth. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%, aligning with predictions. Average hourly earnings grew by 0.4%, surpassing forecasts and maintaining the same pace as October’s increase.

Most S&P 500 sectors fell, led by energy, utilities, and healthcare, while consumer discretionary and communication services posted gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.28% and closed at 44,642.52, the S&P 500 gained 0.25% to 6,090.27, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.81% to finish at 19,859.77.

Asia Markets Today

• On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.22% and ended the session at 39,154.50, led by gains in the Machinery, Gas & Water and Transport sectors.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.02% and ended the day at 8,423.00, led by gains in the Consumer Discretionary, Telecoms Services, and Healthcare sectors.
• India’s Nifty 50 slid 0.21% to 24,626.15, and the Nifty 500 fell 0.07%, closing at 23,296.65. The losses were led by losses in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, Healthcare, and Auto sectors.
• China’s Shanghai Composite declined 0.05% to close at 3,402.53, while the Shenzhen CSI 300 fell 0.17%, finishing the day at 3,966.57.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 2.76% and closed the session at 20,414.09.

Eurozone at 05:30 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.04%.
• Germany’s DAX declined 0.17%.
• France’s CAC gained 0.26%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.28%.

Commodities at 05:30 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 1.16% at $67.98/bbl, and Brent was up 0.97% at $71.80/bbl.
• Oil prices rose over 1% as China signaled a shift to looser monetary policy to support its slowing economy, boosting market sentiment. Uncertainty in Syria and OPEC+’s delayed output plans supported prices despite Saudi price cuts.
• Natural Gas gained 5.33% to $3.240.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.72% at $2,678.71, Silver was up 1.44% to $32.040, and Copper rose 1.76% to $4.2705.

U.S. Futures at 05:30 AM ET

Dow futures were down 0.03%, S&P 500 futures slid 0.07% and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.12%.

Forex at 05:30 AM ET

• The U.S. Dollar Index slid 0.18% to 105.86, USD/JPY was up 0.26% at 150.43, and USD/AUD slid 0.87% to 1.5508.
• The U.S. dollar held steady as markets awaited inflation data and a Fed rate decision. Gains against the yen and won were offset by China’s monetary shift, boosting currencies like the Australian and New Zealand dollars.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock