* US Feb payrolls rise, jobless rate lowest since April 09
* U.S. stocks open down, world stocks up slightly
* Dollar fails to benefit from jobs data
(Updates with U.S. stocks opening, adds details, changes
byline and dateline from previous LONDON)
By Caroline Valetkevitch
NEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters) - Upbeat U.S. jobs data failed
to impress investors on Friday, with U.S. stocks down in early
trading and the U.S. dollar paring gains against the yen.
The non-farm payrolls increased by 192,000, but the number
but was short of the most optimistic forecasts. Analysts also
said February's payrolls data was exaggerated by the hit to
January figures from bad weather. For details, see
[]
Analysts said much of the February increase was already
priced into markets, with expectations rising this week after
reports showed robust private-sector hiring and an unexpectedly
sharp decline in jobless claims.
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INSTANTVIEW: []
SNAP ANALYSIS: U.S. jobs data showing some consistency
[]
Reuters Insider-Strong Payrolls Data Puts Focus on Fed's QE
http://link.reuters.com/mub48r
Graphic- US payrolls:
http://r.reuters.com/rud48r
Graphic- US unemployment:
http://r.reuters.com/kud48r
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The benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX> was down 0.1
percent in early trading after rising Thursday to its highest
level in three months.
"My suspicion is the activity you saw yesterday was to make
up for the money flow that usually comes in on the first of the
month that waited in anticipation of a much stronger whisper
number out there. So the market as we get into the day may be a
little bit disappointed," said Paul Mendelsohn, chief
investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in
Charlotte, Vermont.
The MSCI all-country world index <.MIWD00000PUS> was up 0.1
percent but off its highs of the day.
The dollar <JPY=EBS> was last little changed at 82.41 yen,
compared with 82.83 yen before the release of the jobs data.
The dollar slipped against the euro.
The Dow Jones industrial average <> was down 46.88
points, or 0.38 percent, at 12,211.32. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> dipped 6.65 points, or 0.50 percent, at
1,324.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index <> took off 10.52
points, or 0.38 percent, at 2,788.22.
In the European stock market, the FTSEurofirst 300 <>
was down 0.5 percent.
(Additional reporting by Charles Mikolajczak in New York and
Jeremy Gaunt in London)
(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
