Market Overview

On Friday, the major stock markets in the United States opened mostly flat, reflecting a cautious stance among investors following the release of weaker-than-expected employment data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics disclosed that nonfarm payrolls increased by 143,000 in January, a figure that fell short of market expectations. Despite this, the unemployment rate slightly decreased to 4% from the previous month's 4.1%, with the total number of unemployed individuals standing at 6.8 million.

Market Movements

At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both remained unchanged. However, the Nasdaq 100 saw a modest gain of 0.10%, buoyed by significant surges in shares of TakeTwo Interactive Software Inc. and Fortinet Inc., which soared by 9.51% and 4.57%, respectively.

Currency Fluctuations

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