In European Equity Markets the pan-European Stoxx 600 was trading slightly above the flat-line, with the various sectors trading mostly in the red. Travel and leisure stocks were under pressure after some rating downgrades, including on Sodexo, which fell 2.38 percent. Banks were the biggest losers, down 1.04 percent. Shares of Deutsche Bank slipped following reports that the Chinese group HNA intends to sell its 7.6 percent stake. And Denmark’s largest lender Danske Bank fell 4.33 percent on fears that a money laundering scandal affecting its Estonian branch could be much bigger than previously thought.

In Currency Markets sterling briefly rose to a one-week high on Friday after European Union negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU was open to discussing other “backstops” on the Brexit issue, though a dollar rally on the back of strong U.S. jobs data checked gains. The British currency jumped as much 0.7 percent against the dollar to $1.3011 and by a similar margin against the euro at 89.31 pence before trimming gains. By late afternoon, sterling trimmed gains to be up 0.3 percent on the day and was poised for a third consecutive week of gains.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell on Friday as a rise in stocks of refined petroleum products offset a sharp decline in U.S. crude inventories to the lowest level since 2015. Brent crude futures were down 34 cents at $76.16 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slipped 64 cents to $67.13 per barrel. Both contracts were set for their first weekly loss in three. U.S. commercial crude oil inventories fell by 4.3 million barrels to 401.49 million barrels in the week to Aug. 31, the lowest since February 2015, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed on Thursday.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 and Dow Industrials fell on Friday after strong August jobs data raised concerns about the possibility of faster interest rate hikes, but a rebound in chip stocks helped the Nasdaq trade higher. The S&P financial sector was flat, with only two of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors higher. The S&P 500 was down 0.11 percent, at 2,874.95 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.22 percent, at 7,939.96. Marvell Technology rose 6.3 percent after raising its forecast for synergies around the Cavium acquisition, which, analysts said, removed risks about further growth.

In Bond Markets U.S. benchmark Treasury yields rose on Friday to their highest levels in almost a month after data showed that U.S. job growth accelerated in August, while the annual increase in wages was the largest since June 2009. Non-farm payrolls surged by 201,000 jobs last month, boosted by hiring at construction sites, wholesalers and professional and business services, the Labor Department said on Friday. Benchmark 10-year notes fell 15/32 in price to yield 2.930 percent, up from 2.877 percent on Thursday. Interest rate futures traders are fully pricing in a rate increase at this month’s Federal Reserve meeting, putting it at a 99 percent probability.