Stocks are expected to open lower Friday on a mix of negative economic and corporate news. The big news is the U.S jobs report, which reported that the economy lost 5,000 jobs in October, pushing the jobless rate up a tick to 5.7%.

The news was not unexpected, some analysts had called for a rise to 5.8% on the jobless rate. Nevertheless, it is still a sign of a weak economy.

This economic weakness is generally hitting big names such as Boeing Co., Hewlett-Packard Co. and DuPont Co. And, more economists are now calling for the Fed to cut rates next week.

Also, U.S. health insurer, Cigna Corp., reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an inquiry into the firm after it chopped its earnings forecasts a couple of times recently.

Stocks are down in Europe today on worries over the region’s weak economic prospects. Names such as BT Group plc, ING Groep NV and Vodafone Group plc are all down. The FTSE is down 56 points to 3,984. The CAC 40 is off 95 points to 3,055. The DAX has dropped 96 points to 3,057.

Overnight in Asia, stocks had a mixed session. The Nikkei closed the week with a 45 point gain to 8,686. The Hang Seng shed 34 points to 9,408.

In M&A news, Vincor International Inc. reported that it has closed the previously announced acquisition of Goundrey Wines.

On the earnings front, Hemosol Inc. recorded a net loss of $11.8 million for the past quarter, compared to a loss of $6.9 million in the corresponding prior year quarter. The loss in the quarter included a $3.4 million non-cash write off of deferred financing charges.

And, Acetex Corporation announced its intention to expand its stock buyback from 0.76% of its outstanding shares, to 2.76% of the outstanding shares.