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U.S. stocks rallied Friday, as investors cheered a much stronger-than-expected jobs report.

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By Chris Dieterich And Christian Berthelsen Stocks rose after the U.S. economy added more jobs than expected last month, driving the Nasdaq Composite to an 11-year high and pushing the Dow to its highest reading in almost four years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 154 points, or 1.2%, to 12859, its highest close since May 2008. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index tacked on 19 points, or 1.5%, to 1345, for its fifth straight weekly gain.The technology-oriented Nasdaq Composite Index gained 46 points, or 1.6%, to 2906, its highest level since December 2000. The Nasdaq is off to its best start to the year since 1991, up 12%. All 10 of the S&P 500′s sectors rose Friday, with financials and consumer-discretionary stocks leading the way. Among blue chips, Bank of America rose 5.2% and Caterpillar added 3.3%.Friday’s gains followed a strong employment report from the U.S. Labor Department. January data showed nonfarm payrolls rose 243,000 last month, marking the biggest gain since April. The jobless rate fell from 8.5% to 8.3%, the lowest it has been since February 2009.Stocks popped higher at the open and cruised along in positive territory all day. “The data seem to show the economy is mending a bit faster than it was a year or two years ago,” said David Resler, chief economic adviser for Nomura Securities. The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 1.7%, closing at a six-month high. Asian bourses were mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average down 0.5% and China’s Shanghai Composite up 0.8%. Gold futures dropped 1.1% to $1,737.90 a troy ounce, while crude-oil prices rose 1.5% to $97.84 a barrel. The dollar gained against the euro and yen. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.936%.In corporate news, Genworth Financial swung to a fourth-quarter profit as the insurer enjoyed net investment gains rather than losses and reported lower policy benefits. Shares climbed 14%.Gilead Sciences’ fourth-quarter earnings rose 5.7% as the biopharmaceutical company’s product sales continued to rise and it no longer booked deep reductions in royalties. Shares gained 11%. Wynn Resorts’ fourth-quarter profit climbed 67% on a tax benefit and as the casino operator’s Macau operations continued to post revenue growth, yet a battle between Chief Executive Steve Wynn and a shareholder overshadowed the results. Shares fell 4.8%. …

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U.S. stocks rallied Friday, as investors cheered a much stronger-than-expected jobs report.

View full post on Latest stock market news from Wall Street – CNNMoney.com

Facebook has played a big role in the private trading markets that allow eligible investors the chance to snap up shares of hot Internet companies years before they go public.

View full post on Latest stock market news from Wall Street – CNNMoney.com

The strong January jobs report may finally put a nail in the QE3 coffin.

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Shares of General Motors and Ford surged on Friday following strong data on the U.S. job market.

View full post on Latest stock market news from Wall Street – CNNMoney.com

U.S. stocks rallied Friday, as investors cheered a much stronger-than-expected report on January job growth.

View full post on Latest stock market news from Wall Street – CNNMoney.com

U.S. stocks rallied at the open Friday, as investors cheered a much stronger-than-expected report on January job growth.

View full post on Latest stock market news from Wall Street – CNNMoney.com

By Chris Dieterich And Tomi Kilgore NEW YORK?U.S. stock futures jumped Friday after a closely watched government payrolls report showed the economy added more jobs than expected and the unemployment rate edged lower last month. Less than an hour before the opening bell, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advanced 99 points, or 0.8%, to 12769. The Dow slipped 11 points, or 0.1%, on Thursday, the seventh loss in nine sessions.Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index futures tacked on 13 points, or 1%, to 1335 and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 25 points, or 1%, to 2517. Changes in stock futures do not always accurately predict stock moves after the opening bell. The Nasdaq 100 closed Thursday up 0.3% at an 11-year high.The U.S. Labor Department’s January data showed nonfarm payrolls rose by 243,000 last month, marking the biggest gain since last April. The jobless rate fell by two-tenths of a point to 8.3%, the lowest it is has been since February 2009. Both numbers beat expectations. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected to slow to 125,000 jobs from December’s 200,000. The unemployment rate was expected to hold steady at 8.5%. European markets moved higher on the back of encouraging economic data, with the Stoxx Europe 600 up 0.3% and on track to close at a six-month high. The euro-zone composite purchasing manager’s index confirmed private-sector activity expanded in January, with the index rising to 50.4 from 48.3 in December.Separately, Goldman Sachs raised its targets for Stoxx Europe 600, citing reasons including stronger-than-expected macro data, a favorable reaction to the European Central Bank’s refinancing operation and progress on sovereign debt discussions. Asian bourses were mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average down 0.5% and China’s Shanghai Composite up 0.8%. Gold futures inched 0.1% higher to $1,761 a troy ounce, while crude-oil futures ticked down 0.1% to $96.27 a barrel. The U.S. dollar lost ground against the euro, but edged up against the yen.Friday brings more U.S. economic data. Factory orders for December and a reading on service-sector activity in January are both scheduled for release at 10 a.m. EST. In corporate news, shares of Tyson Foods rallied 2.6% in premarket trading after the meat processor reported fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue that topped expectations, boosted by a return to profitability in its chicken business.THQ tumbled 25% after the interactive games maker reported fiscal third-quarter earnings that were well below expectations, while revenue was in line with its previously lowered outlook. Atmel slid 6.8% after the chip maker lowered its fourth-quarter revenue outlook below current analyst estimates, citing a delayed payment from a major customer.Acme Packet dropped 12% after the networking equipment maker’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue came below previously-lowered expectations. Trimble Navigation leapt 8% after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded forecasts and provided a first-quarter outlook that was above current projections. Estee Lauder shed 7.2% after the skin-care and fragrance-products maker’s fiscal second-quarter results matched estimates, but its third-quarter earnings outlook was below current projections.Sunoco climbed 7.2% after the company announced a number of initiatives aimed at improving earnings potential, including exiting manufacturing, buying back up to 19.9% of its common stock, raising its quarterly dividend by 33% to 20 cents a share and by repurchasing up to $400 million of outstanding debt.National Oilwell Varco added 2.2% after the company said it was buying Denmark’s pipe maker NKT Flexibles for the equivalent of $670 million in cash. Write to Tomi Kilgore at tomi.kilgore@dowjones.com …

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By Chris Dieterich And Tomi Kilgore NEW YORK?U.S. stock futures jumped Friday after a closely watched government payrolls report showed the economy added more jobs than expected and the unemployment rate edged lower last month. Less than an hour before the opening bell, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advanced 99 points, or 0.8%, to 12769. The Dow slipped 11 points, or 0.1%, on Thursday, the seventh loss in nine sessions.Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index futures tacked on 13 points, or 1%, to 1335 and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 25 points, or 1%, to 2517. Changes in stock futures do not always accurately predict stock moves after the opening bell. The Nasdaq 100 closed Thursday up 0.3% at an 11-year high.The U.S. Labor Department’s January data showed nonfarm payrolls rose by 243,000 last month, marking the biggest gain since last April. The jobless rate fell by two-tenths of a point to 8.3%, the lowest it is has been since February 2009. Both numbers beat expectations. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected to slow to 125,000 jobs from December’s 200,000. The unemployment rate was expected to hold steady at 8.5%. European markets moved higher on the back of encouraging economic data, with the Stoxx Europe 600 up 0.3% and on track to close at a six-month high. The euro-zone composite purchasing manager’s index confirmed private-sector activity expanded in January, with the index rising to 50.4 from 48.3 in December.Separately, Goldman Sachs raised its targets for Stoxx Europe 600, citing reasons including stronger-than-expected macro data, a favorable reaction to the European Central Bank’s refinancing operation and progress on sovereign debt discussions. Asian bourses were mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average down 0.5% and China’s Shanghai Composite up 0.8%. Gold futures inched 0.1% higher to $1,761 a troy ounce, while crude-oil futures ticked down 0.1% to $96.27 a barrel. The U.S. dollar lost ground against the euro, but edged up against the yen.Friday brings more U.S. economic data. Factory orders for December and a reading on service-sector activity in January are both scheduled for release at 10 a.m. EST. In corporate news, shares of Tyson Foods rallied 2.6% in premarket trading after the meat processor reported fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue that topped expectations, boosted by a return to profitability in its chicken business.THQ tumbled 25% after the interactive games maker reported fiscal third-quarter earnings that were well below expectations, while revenue was in line with its previously lowered outlook. Atmel slid 6.8% after the chip maker lowered its fourth-quarter revenue outlook below current analyst estimates, citing a delayed payment from a major customer.Acme Packet dropped 12% after the networking equipment maker’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue came below previously-lowered expectations. Trimble Navigation leapt 8% after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded forecasts and provided a first-quarter outlook that was above current projections. Estee Lauder shed 7.2% after the skin-care and fragrance-products maker’s fiscal second-quarter results matched estimates, but its third-quarter earnings outlook was below current projections.Sunoco climbed 7.2% after the company announced a number of initiatives aimed at improving earnings potential, including exiting manufacturing, buying back up to 19.9% of its common stock, raising its quarterly dividend by 33% to 20 cents a share and by repurchasing up to $400 million of outstanding debt.National Oilwell Varco added 2.2% after the company said it was buying Denmark’s pipe maker NKT Flexibles for the equivalent of $670 million in cash. Write to Tomi Kilgore at tomi.kilgore@dowjones.com …

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