Investors will be mulling over February’s employment numbers when markets open Friday.

Canada’s unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.4% in February, matching the 30-year low set last November, Statistics Canada said today.

The country churned out 24,700 new jobs last month, matching analysts’ expectations.

The Canadian dollar opened at US86.13¢, down 0.35 of a cent.

South of the border, U.S. employers 243,000 jobs to nonfarm payrolls during February, with gains concentrated in construction and service-producing industries. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.8%.

In today’s earnings news, Nortel Networks reported a US$2.2 billion loss for the fourth quarter and said it would delay filing its annual 2005 report amid another revision of financial results going back at least three years.

Asian markets were mixed Friday.

The Japanese Nikkei 225 index added 78.72 points, or 0.49%, to finish at 16,115.63 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index fell 65.08 points, or 0.4%, to 15,445.05.

Toronto stocks closed higher Thursday, after three consecutive negative sessions, as oil and gold prices rebounded.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 28.26 points, or 0.24%, to 11,765.33.

Six of the 10 TSX main sub-groups were up, with the energy sector advancing 0.55%. The crude futures contract rose 45¢ to settle at $60.47.


The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 15.53 points, or 0.61%, to 2,565.87.

In New York, stocks were lower on news of a growing U.S. trade deficit.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 33.46 points to 10,972.28, the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 17.74 points to 2,254, and the S&P 500 Index dropped 6.24 points to 1,272.23.