ASX skids after job jitters sap Wall Street

Summary

• The ASX 200 started Friday's trade with a 0.9% decline 
• US indices fell to their lowest level in a week after an unexpected rise in jobless claims. Tech stocks led the decline. 
• Gold as prices are moving closer to the all-time high. The precious metal is just shy of $US1900 an ounce
• The Aussie dollar has eased against the greenback and is currently worth U71.08c