UNITED STATES

An unexpectedly strong report on U.S. payrolls helped equities bounce back on Friday from four days of losses, tempering worries that stocks could suffer

Oil fell on Friday to cap a frenzied trading week that sliced prices by a record of more than $16 a barrel on demand worries and a move by investors to slash commodities exposures.

Companies created jobs at the fastest pace in five years in April, pointing to underlying strength in the economy even as the jobless rate rose to 9.0 percent.

President Barack Obama has spoken in private with members of the U.S. team which raided and killed Osama bin Laden on Sunday after arriving earlier at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky.

Pakistani authorities have reportedly arrested about 40 people in Abbottabad who are suspected of having links to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terror network according to the US government’s Open Source Center.

PIMCO's Bill Gross, who runs the world's largest bond fund, said on Friday the only way he would reverse his short position on U.S. government-related bonds is if the United States heads into another recession.

Silver Bullion rallied from a drop below $34 per ounce, the fifth daily plunge running and some 31% below last Thursday's new three-decade high. Dollar prices to Buy Gold whipped in a $10 range Friday morning in London, trading up to $1488 per ounce - some 5.5% below Monday's record-high spike- as European equities and global commodities stemmed their losses.

Oil fell on Friday, on track for the biggest weekly drop in dollar terms ever, following a torrid 10 percent crash in the previous session.

The U.S. government is highly vigilant about the possibility of al Qaeda agents seeking revenge for the murder of its former leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the White House said.

Economists have varying estimates as to what levels of non-farm payrolls gains it takes to heal the jobs market. Their number is usually between 100,000 and 200,000 per month.

Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn wants to begin assembling iPads in Brazil by July, but it is still seeking tax breaks and other government concessions as part of an investment plan that could be worth up to $12 billion, Brazilian media reported on Friday.

An unexpectedly strong report on U.S. payrolls propelled stocks higher on Friday for the first time this week, but indexes retreated from highs after speculation Greece might leave the euro zone.

The Federal Reserve should keep interest rates on hold for some time after it completes its bond buying to assess its impact on the economy, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Friday.

Oil prices steadied on Friday following a torrid 10 percent slide the previous session, as shellshocked traders mulled market fundamentals and the frenzy this week that wiped out half the year's gains.

Hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, absent for three days from his trial on insider trading charges because of a foot infection, returned to the New York courthouse on Friday wearing a blue vinyl medical shoe.

An unexpectedly strong report on U.S. payrolls propelled stocks higher on Friday one day after a sell-off, but investors were wary that the market's months-long rally may be near a peak.

Oil prices bounced back on Friday from a torrid 10 percent slide the previous session, as shellshocked traders mulled market fundamentals and the frenzy this week that wiped out half the year's gains.

U.S. employment increased more than expected in April as private companies created jobs at the fast pace in five years, pointing to underlying strength in the economy, even though the jobless rate rose to 9.0 percent.

The US government may be forced to hand out pictures of slain terror leader Osama Bin Laden after the Associated Press news agency lodged a request under the Freedom of Information Act asking to see the pictures, Guardian reports.

Though the unemployment rate did tick up to 9%, the U.S. economy had a net increase of 244,000 jobs in April.

Bank of America Corp will test an overdraft program in the first quarter of next year, allowing customers to accept an overdraft fee when a debit transaction is turned down, a company executive said on Friday.