US Markets React to January Employment Data

Following the release of weaker-than-expected employment figures, the US stock markets opened with mixed reactions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a rise of 143,000 in nonfarm payrolls for January, which was below expectations. Despite this, the unemployment rate slightly decreased to 4% from December's 4.1%, with 6.8 million people still unemployed.

Market Performance at Opening

At the opening, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 remained flat, showing little movement. In contrast, 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.

Currency Movements

On the currency front, the euro experienced a slight decrease of 0.09% against the dollar, trading at $1.03783 at 3:58 pm ET.