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Wall Street rallied Friday following the release of a better than expected government monthly jobs report. Apple led the Nasdaq to an 18-month closing high.

In employment news, according to a US government report, 36,000 jobs were cut in February. Forecasts were for 68,000 jobs to be lost, while the unemployment rate remained stable at 9.7%.
The Dow Jones rose 122.06 points, or 1.17%, to 10,566.20, the S&P 500 added 15.72 points, or 1.40%, to 1,138.69 and the NASDAQ gained 34.04 points, or 1.48%, to 2,326.35.

Apple put on 3.9% after the tech giant said its iPad tablet computer would be released on April 3. There had been concerns of a potential delay in the products release, however they were eased by the announcement.

Hewlett-Packard advanced 1%, while rival search engines Google and Yahoo! added 1.7% and 1.6%.

Financials were consistently stronger by the close. Citigroup, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo were between 2% and 2.5% higher.

Bank of America added 1.8%, while bank holding company American Express jumped 3.4%.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing put on 3.6%.

Intermune surged 59.4% on speculation the company’s treatment for lung scarring will receive FDA approval.

Energy stocks tracked the price of crude higher. Chevron and Exxon Mobil gained 1.7% and 1.6%, while ConocoPhillips rallied 2.2%.

NYMEX light crude oil for April delivery rose US$1.29 to settle at US$81.50 a barrel.

COMEX gold for May delivery rose US$2.10 to settle at US$1,135.20 per ounce.

European Markets

European stocks finished higher for the sixth consecutive day on the back of a better than expected jobs report out of the US and optimism surrounding Greece’s debt problems due to the sale of a bond issue. Banks led gains, while miners were also stronger.

The UK benchmark FTSE 100 gained 72.60, or 1.31% to 5,599.76. The French CAC40 advanced 82.01, or 2.14% to 3,910.42, while Germany’s DAX rose 82.04, or 1.42% to 5,877.36.

Standard Chartered climbed 3.5% after meeting 2009 profit expectations with a 13% increase.

British peers Barclays and HSBC gained 2.5% each.

In France, Societe Generale and BNP Paribas rallied 4.8% and 3.7%. Deutsche Bank put on 2.5%.

Aussie miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto added 3.8% and 2.7% on stronger metals prices.

Xstrata surged 5.6%.

Total was the best among the major energy players with a 2.1% gain.

Volkswagen jumped 7.7% after Citigroup upgraded its rating on the automaker to “buy”.

DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Peugeot rose between 2.8% and 4%.

Recruitment firm Michael Page International shed 2.5% after reporting an 87% fall in full-year profit.

Japanese Markets

Japan’s Nikkei moved higher on the back of the US jobs data. Exporters rallied after the yen weakened following reports the Bank of Japan is set to loosen its monetary policy.

The Nikkei 225 rallied 223.24, or 2.20% to 10,368.96.

Sony and Canon put on 3.4% and 3.3% as a weakened yen improved their profit outlooks. Automaker Mazda added 1.3%.

Banks Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial gained 1.7% and 0.8%.

Property Developers Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. and Mitsui Fudosan Co. climbed 4.6% and 2.7% as a cut to borrowing costs seems likely of monetary policy is loosened.

Nippon Yusen and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines rallied 2.8% and 4% following a rise in cargo-transport fees.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha spiked 4.9% on a broker upgrade.

Hong Kong Markets

Hong Kong stocks snapped three days of losses Friday. Stocks rose, led by the retailers, on positive sentiment out of the US economy.

The Hang Seng climbed 212.19, or 1.03% to 20,787.97.

Clothing maker for many US companies Li & Fung rose 4.2%. Esprit gained 1.7%, while third-party shoemaker, Yue Yuen Holdings, was more restrained, adding just 0.2%.

Property stocks were also robust. Swire Pacific, one of Hong Kong’s largest landlords, rose 2%.

Hang Lung Properties Ltd., Hong Kong’s fourth-largest developer by market value, rose 2%. New World Development put on 1.5%.

In a wrap of the banks, Bank of China rose 1%. ICBC and HSBC gained 0.9%.

China Resources Land climbed 2.4%. The stock will be soon added to the Hang Seng indexes, raising the total number of stocks on the benchmark to 43.