FOREIGN EXCHANGE: The American currency rose to US$1.2133 against the euro, and the Japanese yen's advance was halted as it hovered close to four-year lows
The dollar surged across the board Friday as evidence finally emerged that economic recovery in the United States is translating into solid jobs growth.

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Oil prices ended mixed on Friday as the market continued to digest news that Washington was considering requests to temporarily waive rules requiring cleaner-burning gasoline that have contributed to fears of a supply crunch.

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The best week on Wall Street in six months appears to have pulled the market out of its recent correction, with investors more confident that the US economy is on track.

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UNEXPECTED BOOST: The surging optimism about the US economy after a surprisingly strong showing in job-creation has bolstered the region's exporters
Asian stocks rose this week after US jobless claims fell and a manufacturing gauge unexpectedly gained, boosting optimism demand from the world's largest economy will help exporters such as Nissan Motor Co and Advantest Corp.

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European stock markets forged ahead Friday on welcome news from the US that its economic recovery was finally producing strong jobs growth.

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RESOLVING DIFFERENCES: The high-tech rivals ended a long-running antitrust and patent infringement dispute as Microsoft agreed to pay its competitor US$1.6 billion
High-tech rivals Microsoft and Sun Microsystems buried the hatchet Friday, announcing Microsoft would pay US$1.6 billion to settle antitrust and patent disputes.

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A US$450 million gas-fired power plant in Vietnam built and owned by British energy giant BP and other foreign investors was officially opened yesterday.

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The corruption trial of two former Tyco International Ltd executives ended in a mistrial on Friday after an apparent holdout juror received a threatening letter, leaving the judge with "no choice" but to halt the 12-day-old deliberations.

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Suddenly, free trade agreements are all the rage in Japan.

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Mark Nichols runs an online gift shop and considers himself Internet savvy. Yet like so many other Web surfers, he got duped by an e-mail scam anyhow.

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■ Semiconductors
Global sales up 31%
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