Banks are leading the French market rally in afternoon trading Friday, as sentiment was boosted by the less than expected fall in U.S. unemployment in August.
Crude for October delivery is trading down $0.11 at $74.91 per barrel and December gold is falling $10 at $1243.4 an ounce.
In economic news, French service sector activity dropped to a four month low in August, a final report from Markit Economics showed. The purchasing managers index for services decreased to 60.4 in August from 61.1 in the previous month. The flash reading for August was 59.9.
Meanwhile, final data from Markit Economics showed that German services sector grew at the fastest pace in three years in August, though the pace of expansion was slower than initially estimated. The final Services business activity index showed a reading of 57.2, down from 58.5 estimated in the flash report. In July, the PMI was at 56.5.
UK's service sector continued to expand for the sixteenth successive month in August, but the rate of growth eased from July, a survey by Markit Economics revealed. The headline seasonally adjusted Business Activity Index was at 51.3 in August, down from 53.1 in July.
Further, Eurozone service sector activity rose to a three-month high in August, led by strong growth in Germany and France. Markit Economics said the service sector purchasing managers' index rose to a seasonally adjusted 55.9 from 55.8 in July, and also higher than the preliminary reading of 55.6.
In the U.S., employment in August fell by much less than economists had been expecting, according to a report released by the Labor Department. The report showed that non-farm payroll employment fell by 54,000 jobs in August. Economists had expected employment to fall by about 120,000 jobs. However, the unemployment rate edged up to 9.6% in August from 9.5% in July, in line with economist estimates.
After opening above the flat line at 3,642, the index made modest gains in early trade. But busy buying is taking the index to new highs and is currently cruising 1.81%.
Lender Societe Generale is leading the gainers by adding 5.25%. Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas and Dexia are gaining between 3.1% and 2.7%.
Building materials maker Saint-Gobain is adding 3.5%, followed by computer firm Cap Gemini, which is rising 3.4%. Car makers Renault and Peugeot are advancing 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively.
Those making notable gains include chipmaker STMicroelectronics, cement giant Lafarge, heavy construction firms Vinci and Bouygues, oil giant Total and Air France-KLM.
Beverages company Pernod-Ricard is losing 1% and Airbus maker EADS is losing 0.4%.
Elsewhere in Europe, the UK's FTSE 100 is adding 1.24% and the German DAX is rising 1.32%.
Across Asia/Pacific, major markets had a mixed outing. Australia's All Ordinaries ended up 0.32% and Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.57%. However, China's Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.01% and India's BSE Sensex retreated 0.09%.
In the U.S., the Dow is rising 0.94%, the Nasdaq is advancing 1.21% and the S&P 500 is climbing 1.02%.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.