The trading week should end on a positive note as futures market trading on Wall Street and overseas markets are up, reflecting continued optimism that hostilities in Iraq will be over before long. This optimism is ignoring a poor jobs report in the U.S.

The U.S. Labor Department reported Friday that the American unemployment rate was unchanged in March . It continues to sit at 5.8%.

Businesses, however, slashed jobs for a second month while bracing for war. Payrolls declined by a larger-than-expected 108,000 in March. The American economy lost a whopping 357,000 jobs in February.

In Canada the jobs news is much better. Statistics Canada reported that employment edged up 14,000 in March. The unemployment rate dipped 0.1 percentage points to 7.3%.

The bourses in Europe are betting on a quick end to the Iraqi confrontation. London’s FTSE 100 is up 1.1% a midday. Frankfurt’s DAX has jumped 2.33%. Paris’s CAC 40 has gained 1.87%.

Asian markets finished the week positively. Tokyo’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 56.37 points, or 0.7%, to 8,074.12. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rose 174.29 points, or 2.02% to 8,822.45.