A surprisingly positive employment report set up the second-largest gain for the Dow since August 2015
Friday was a day of significant gains for U.S. stocks, after the Labor Department’s reported the U.S. economy added 312,000 jobs during December, well above the consensus forecast of a 182,000 increase among economists polled by MarketWatch.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +3.29% jumped 747 points or 3.3% to close at 23,433.16, for its best performance since Dec. 26, when it surged 5%. (Before Dec. 26, the Dow’s best day was Aug. 26, 2015, when it climbed 4%.) The S&P 500 index SPX, +3.43% clambered up 3.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +4.26% leapt 4.3%.
Higher stock prices generally held despite a statement from President Trump later in the session that the partial shutdown of the U.S. government might last months or years, after he and Democratic Party leaders in Congress again failed to settle their dispute over funding Trump’s proposed border wall.
Friday’s winners
Dow Jones Industrial Average
All 30 Dow components rose:
You can click the tickers for more about each company, including news, profiles, charts, price ratios, estimates and financials.
S&P 500
Among the S&P 500, all but 17 stocks advanced. Here are the day’s 10 best performers:
Nasdaq
All but one of the Nasdaq-100 NDX, +4.48% components rose. Here are the day’s best 10:
