Stocks rose Friday, looking to cap off a strong start to the new year, as Wall Street shook off jobs data that missed expectations.
The Dow rose 175 points, heading for its best start to a year since 2006. The S&P 500 climbed 0.55 percent, with tech stocks outperforming. The Nasdaq gained 0.65 percent. The major indexes also reached all-time highs.
“I think the net-net effect in the market is neutral,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab. “Yes, the numbers were a bit disappointing, but not so much that they change Fed policy, for example.”
“December and January are also notorious months for being off the mark,” Frederick said.
The U.S. economy added 148,000 jobs in December, according to the Labor Department. Economists polled by Reuters expected a gain of 190,000.
The report “keeps inflationary pressures at bay for now, and the Fed less pressured to move beyond the already discounted three rate hikes for 2018,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial.
U.S. stock index futures initially pared gains after the data were released, but quickly recovered. Dow futures briefly traded 100 points higher.
Other data released Friday include the non-manufacturing ISM index, which fell to 55.9 in December from 57.4 in November. Factory orders, meanwhile, rose 1.3 percent in November, exceeding expectations.
U.S. equities kicked off 2018 with a bang. Entering Friday’s session, the major indexes were on track to post weekly gains of more than 1 percent.
They have also notched key milestones this week. The Dow closed above 25,000 for the first time on Thursday. It took the Dow just 23 trading days to rally from 24,000 to 25,000, marking the fastest 1,000 point move in the index’s history. The move is also tied for the fastest ever in terms of calendar days at 35.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished above 2,700 and 7,000, respectively, for the first time ever earlier in the week.
Overseas, international markets posted solid gains on the last trading day of the week, as investors shrugged off concerns surrounding geopolitical tensions between North Korea and the West, and focused on the positive momentum seen in markets.
Ths Stoxx 600, which tracks a wide swath of European stocks, rose 0.6 percent. In Asia, the Nikkei 225 jumped 0.9 percent, while the Shanghai composite gained 0.2 percent.
In corporate news, shares of Target and Lowe’s rose more than 1 percent after being upgraded at Barclays. Analysts cited a stimulus to retailers from the recent tax code overhaul and “improved flexibility to make necessary investments without negatively impacting EPS results.”
Sonic shares, meanwhile, rose 4.5 percent after reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings.
Source: msn.com | Original Link
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