US Markets Open Flat After Jobs Data Disappoints

On Friday, the US stock markets opened mostly flat, as investors reacted to a weaker-than-expected jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report indicated that nonfarm payrolls increased by only 143,000 in January, missing projections. Despite this, the unemployment rate slightly decreased to 4%, with 6.8 million people unemployed.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both remained flat at the opening. However, the Nasdaq 100 saw a modest increase of 0.10%, buoyed by significant gains from TakeTwo Interactive Software Inc. and Fortinet Inc., which soared 9.51% and jumped 4.57%, respectively.

In currency markets, the euro experienced a slight decline against the dollar, trading 0.09% lower at $1.03783 by 3:58 pm ET.