By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude oil rose on Friday, bouncing back from levels not seen since November, on the likelihood key producers could extend output cuts beyond an agreed-on June deadline, while U.S. stocks closed at a record high.
On Wall Street, the energy sector (SPNY) posted its strongest daily showing in seven weeks as stocks tracked the price of oil higher, sending the benchmark S&P 500 to a record closing high.
Stocks also got support from better-than-expected U.S. nonfarm payrolls data. Job growth rebounded sharply last month with 211,000 positions added and the national unemployment rate down to near a 10-year low of 4.4 percent.
The jobs data is "a little bit more confirmation that perhaps the economy is OK," said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services in Hammond, Indiana. "That probably is something that helped the broader market."
Markets were rattled overnight as crude initially stumbled further, its weekly decline close to 10 percent at one point, but comments from Saudi Arabia's OPEC governor Adeeb Al-Aama helped put a floor under oil prices.
"There's an emerging consensus among participating countries on the need to extend the production agreement reached last year," the official told Reuters.
OPEC, Russia and other producers have agreed to curb production by 1.8 million barre1ls per day until June 30. OPEC ministers next meet on May 25.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rose 55.47 points, or 0.26 percent, to end at 21,006.94, the S&P 500 (SPX) gained 9.77 points, or 0.41 percent, to 2,399.29 and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) added 25.42 points, or 0.42 percent, to 6,100.76.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index (FTEU3) rose 0.69 percent and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.46 percent after touching a record high.
Emerging market stocks (MSCIEF) lost 0.18 percent. Overnight, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (MIAPJ0000PUS) closed 0.57 percent lower.
CRUDE REBOUND
Both Brent (LCOc1) and U.S. crude (CLc1) fell almost 4 percent overnight on mounting concerns about oversupply. But weekly declines of close to 10 percent were all but halved during New York trading hours.
Concerns over a slowdown in China have hit other commodities, with Chinese iron ore futures
Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) in Newark, New Jersey, said the slide in commodities would not necessarily drag other markets lower "as long as you accept the thesis that it is all about supply."
"But if you add a slowdown in China," she said, "it becomes a demand story.
U.S. crude
Copper
The U.S. dollar hit its lowest in roughly six months against the euro
Analysts said traders are anticipating the euro will rise above a technical barrier of $1.10 if, as expected, centrist Emmanuel Macron defeats anti-EU candidate Marine Le Pen.
The dollar index (DXY) fell 0.22 percent.
The Japanese yen weakened 0.23 percent at 112.74 per dollar, while Sterling
The Canadian dollar was flat versus the greenback
The loonie, the Australian dollar
Benchmark 10-year notes (US10YT=RR) last rose 2/32 in price to yield 2.3505 percent, from 2.356 percent late on Thursday.