Investors will be mulling over mixed signals at Friday’s open as crude oil prices eased and gasoline futures fell for the first time in a week, but a report showed that U.S. employers created fewer new jobs than expected in August.
Light, sweet crude for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 42¢ to US$69.05 US a barrel.

U.S. employers added 169,000 jobs to nonfarm payrolls in August, shy of expectations, but hiring in June and July was revised upward by 44,000 jobs. The government reported the unemployment rate slipped to a four-year low of 4.9%.

Economists had forecast an increase of 190,000 jobs in August, just a bit less than the 207,000 gain in the prior month, but for the jobless rate to hold steady at 5%.

There are no major releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened trading at US84.28¢, down 0.22 of a cent from Thursday’s close.

Overnight in Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index rose 93.03 points to 12,600.00 — its highest close since July 5, 2001.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index gained 78.14 points to 15,221.89.

On Thursday, Toronto stocks roared ahead, as the resource sector paced the market to a triple-digit gain.

The S&P/TSX composite index finished up 144.36, or 1.35%, to 10,813.30, its highest close since September 2000.

Seven of the 10 TSX main sub-groups were up, with the energy sector gaining 2.69%.

The gold sector spiked 4.11%. The October gold contract on the Nymex jumped $8.40 to US$443.50 an ounce as the greenback weakened.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 22.57 points, or 1.17%, to 1,994.50.

In New York, markets were mixed as investors weighed poor economic news and the effects of hurricane Katrina against positive corporate news.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 21.97 points, or 0.21%, to 10,459.63. The S&P 500 index rose 1.26, or 0.1%, to 1,221.59, and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 4.19 points, or 0.19%, to 2,147.90.