Stocks rally, dollar higher in wake of US jobs numbers
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NEW YORK, Jan 9 : Major stock indexes jumped to record highs and the dollar was also up on Friday after data showed the U.S. economy created fewer jobs than expected in December, which did little to change rate cut expectations from the Federal Reserve this year.
The S&P 500, Dow and the STOXX 600 notched record high closes. Chip stocks rose and helped to boost the S&P 500, with Intel gaining 10.8 per cent after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a "great meeting" with the chipmaker's Chief Executive Officer, Lip-Bu Tan. Broadcom rose 3.8 per cent.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly report showed 50,000 workers were added to nonfarm payrolls in December, compared with expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 60,000, just above November's downwardly revised increase of 56,000. The unemployment rate eased, as expected, to 4.4 per cent.
"Payrolls were a little bit light relative to consensus, but still fairly strong numbers," said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder in New York.
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"We are back to normal in terms of economic reporting, so that's a bit of a relief for everyone."
Before now, the release of U.S. economic data had been delayed because of the long federal government shutdown.
Stock market gains this week came despite increased geopolitical tensions sparked by U.S. forces capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid on its capital January 3.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 237.96 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 49,504.07, the S&P 500 rose 44.82 points, or 0.65 per cent, to 6,966.28 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 191.33 points, or 0.82 per cent, to 23,671.35.
All three indexes posted gains in the first full trading week of 2026, driven by increases in materials, industrials and other sectors that have lagged technology stocks in recent years.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe was up 5.42 points, or 0.53 per cent, at 1,034.87, and hit a record intraday high.
European shares ended at a record high. A jump in Glencore helped put the STOXX 600 on its longest weekly winning streak since May. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.97 per cent.
DOLLAR, TWO-YEAR YIELDS UP
After the jobs report the dollar initially gave up almost all the day's gains versus a basket of major currencies, having risen by nearly 0.2 per cent earlier. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, was last up 0.26 per cent at 99.13.
Interest rate sensitive two-year Treasury yields were higher after the data, while 10-year yields were last down slightly. The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Fed, rose 5 basis points to 3.538 per cent, from 3.488 per cent late on Thursday. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell 1.2 basis points to 4.171 per cent.
In commodities, crude oil ended sharply higher. Brent futures rose $1.35, or 2.18 per cent, to settle at $63.34 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained $1.36, or 2.35 per cent, to $59.12.
Investors have become more convinced that production in Venezuela, even under U.S. control, may not rise meaningfully for some time.
Copper prices rose, extending recent gains on renewed bets on a future demand boost, while aluminium hit its highest since April 2022.
TRUMP'S TARIFFS
Investors had been bracing for a possible U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the legality of Trump's tariffs.
But the court is expected to issue its next rulings on Jan. 14. The court indicated on its website on Friday that it could release decisions in argued cases when the justices take the bench during a scheduled sitting next Wednesday.
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