The sharemarket is weak on profit booking, just as it will close for the weekend. The Sensex is down 74.21 points at 22434.86, and the Nifty is down 18.90 points at 6717.20. About 1238 shares have advanced, 813 shares declined, and 108 shares are unchanged.

Metal stocks like Hindalco and Tata Steel are up 1 percent each. Cipla, Wipro and ICICI Bank are other gainers in the Sensex. Aong the losers are GAIL, BHEL, ONGC, L&T and Bharti Airtel. The rupee is lower tracking weakness in the euro and Asian currencies.

Gilts too are lower as dealers cut positions ahead of the maiden FY15 gilt auction. The euro trades steady after declining on ECB President Mario Draghi’s comments.

The yen remained under pressure against dollar. Asian markets trade marginally lower today as traders are cautious ahead of the official report on US employment data out later today. Estimates are that 200,000 jobs are expected to be added.