The Toronto stock market gave up early strong gains by late morning Friday as a weaker than expected reading on the U.S. non-manufacturing sector cancelled out much early enthusiasm over American jobs data, which blew past expectations.

Private employers hired more workers over the past three months than first thought, a glimmer of hope for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend.

AFP - Brazil's Petrobras unveiled one of the world's biggest share offerings Friday, a sale of up to 64 billion dollars in new stock to finance oil exploration aimed at turning Brazil into a leading oil exporter of the 21st century.

The U.S. economy shed 54,000 nonfarm jobs in August, the Labor Department reported Friday, a much slower decline than economists anticipated as the health-care and temporary-staffing industries led a 67,000 expansion in private-sector employment.

Private employers hired more workers over the past three months than first thought, lifting hopes for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend.

AFP - Brazil's Petrobras unveiled one of the world's biggest share offerings on Friday, a sale of up to 64 billion dollars in new stock to finance oil exploration aimed at turning Brazil into one of the world's top 21st century oil exporters.

BERLIN a ' The European Central Bank raised its growth projections for the 16-nation eurozone on Thursday, but stressed that the outlook remains uncertain and said its effort to keep banks supplied with credit would stay in place for the rest of the year.

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