By Lawrence Delevingne and Samuel Indyk
BOSTON/LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) – Global equities were mixed, while the dollar weakened on Friday, as new U.S. data showed domestic job growth, although consumer sentiment fell and oil prices remained elevated on continued fighting near the Strait of Hormuz.
European stocks dipped, but the S&P 500 added 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.7% to fresh records. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed.
Chipmakers recovered, including Qualcomm, up about 8%, while Nvidia was 1.75% higher. Intel shares surged around 14% on a Wall Street Journal report that it had reached a preliminary agreement with Apple to manufacture some of the chips that power the iPhone maker’s devices.
Brent crude futures jumped as much as 3% on Friday, a day after the U.S. and Iran traded air strikes, but pared gains as traders hoped for a longer pause in the fighting. Brent crude futures settled at $101.29 a barrel, up 1.23%
U.S. employment increased more than expected in April while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, pointing to labor market resilience.
“More solid jobs data leaves the Fed where it’s been for a while – watching and waiting, focused on the inflation side of its mandate,” said Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. “Rate cuts still aren’t on the near-term horizon, but the absence of inflationary threats in today’s report should quiet some of the chatter about a potential hike.”
At the same time, U.S. consumer sentiment slumped to a record low in early May as higher gasoline prices weighed on household finances and purchasing power, a survey showed on Friday.
MIDDLE EAST CLASHES
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf and the UAE came under renewed attack, testing a month-long ceasefire. Both sides played down the situation, leaving investors uncertain.
“The market seems to be taking every chance to price in a quick end to the war,” said Jan von Gerich, chief analyst at Nordea.
“But it seems unlikely there’s going to be an agreement. I still think there are going to be disruptions in the Strait (of Hormuz) for a longer time and it won’t be resolved any time soon.”
European stocks were lower, with the pan-continental STOXX 600 down 0.7%.
Asian equities slipped from recent highs after a robust week, supported by strong revenue and spending plans from U.S. AI hyperscalers, which have boosted regional chipmakers.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asian shares outside Japan fell 0.8%, although South Korea’s KOSPI inched up 0.1%, bringing its weekly gain to more than 13.5% – its largest since 2008 – helped by rallies in Samsung and SK Hynix.