FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX)

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SHARES

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GERMANY: - FRIENDLY END TO THE WEEK - Rising prices on the stock markets in the USA and China should also support the stock markets in Europe and thus the Dax on Friday. At a price of 17,676 points, the broker IG estimated the leading German index two hours before the start of Xetra trading to be virtually unchanged in percentage terms, close to its previous day's close. Recession worries in the USA had eased somewhat following encouraging data from the jobs market, the market said. In China, meanwhile, higher inflation boosted share prices on hopes of a recovery in domestic demand.

USA: - RECOVERY - The New York stock markets benefited from robust US labor market data on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial benchmark index extended its initial gains and closed 1.76 percent higher at 39,446.49 points. The fact that initial jobless claims fell more sharply than expected last week eased fears of a downturn in the US economy somewhat. Investors accordingly bought shares again. The market-wide S&P 500 rose by 2.30 percent to 5,319.31 points, its biggest daily gain since November 2022.

ASIA: - UNIFORM - The most important stock markets in Asia did not follow a uniform direction on Friday. Prices rose in China. Higher inflation boosted prices there because it is associated with hopes that domestic demand will recover. The tech-heavy Hang Seng Index of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region rose by 1.8 percent and the CSI 300, which includes the 300 most important shares on the Chinese mainland stock exchanges, gained 0.1 percent. In Tokyo, the Nikkei index for 225 leading stocks gave up some of its gains and recently lost 0.5 percent.

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DAX 17680.40 0.37%

XDAX 17725.93 1.74%

EuroSTOXX 50 4668.74 0.01%

Stoxx50 4323.64 0.35%

DJIA 39446.49 1.76%

S&P 500 5319.31 2.30%

NASDAQ 100 18413.82 3.06%°

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BONDS / FOREIGN EXCHANGE / CRUDE OIL

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BONDS:

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Bund future 134.37 0.14%°

DEVISES:

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Euro/USD 1.0921 0.02%

USD/Yen 147.08 -0.13%

Euro/Yen 160.63 -0.10%°

CRUDE OIL:

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Brent 79.19 0.03 USD

WTI 76.24 0.05 USD°

/jha/