North American markets are likely to climb Friday morning, buoyed by better-than-expected U.S. employment numbers, but high oil prices may limit gains on Wall Street.

U.S. employers added 262,000 jobs to U.S. non-farm payrolls in February, the Labor Department reported, the best rate of hiring in four months.

However, the unemployment rate rose to 5.4%.as discouraged workers revived their search for new jobs.

Crude oil futures fell Friday, retreating from the previous day’s surge when fund buying and supply fears drove prices sharply higher. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude for April delivery fell 22¢ to US$53.35 a barrel by afternoon in Europe.

Oil prices were the again the catalyst Thursday, sending Bay Street to another solid double-digit gain, but overshadowing good economic information on Wall Street.

At close, Toronto’s S&P/TSX composite index was up 59.46 points or 0.61% at 9,859.53, while the S&P/TSX Venture composite index rose 19.91 points or 0.99% to 2,025.30.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 21.06 points or 0.19% at 10,833.03. The S&P 500 rose 0.39 of a point or 0.03% to 1,210.47, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was down 9.10 or 0.44% at 2,058.40.

The Canadian dollar was down 0.28 of a cent at US80.40¢.