U.S. Market Indexes Higher after August Jobs Report
U.S. market indexes were higher on Friday. For the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 18491.96 for a gain of 72.66 points or 0.39 percent. The S&P 500 was also higher, closing at 2179.98 for a gain of 9.12 points or 0.42 percent. The Nasdaq Composite closed higher at 5249.90 for a gain of 22.69 points or 0.43 percent. The VIX Volatility Index was lower at 11.95 for a loss of -1.53 points or -11.35 percent.
Friday’s Market Movers
The Employment Situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was the leading report for the day as investors awaited its results throughout the week to determine direction for the economy and market. The report showed an increase of 151,000 jobs in August. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent.
Other reports on the economic calendar Friday included International Trade, Factory Orders and the Baker Hughes Rig Count. The international trade deficit decreased in July to $39.5 billion. Factory orders were higher at $454.8 billion with an increase of $8.4 billion or 1.9 percent. The Baker Hughes North American rig count was lower for the week with one less rig in North America bringing the rig count to 634. In the U.S. oil rigs increased by 8 and in Canada the rig count decreased by 9.
Stocks trading actively for the day included the following:
Bank of America
Chesapeake Energy
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
Johnson Controls
EMC
Tyco International
Apple
Ford
General Electric
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led gains:
Gains (percent)
Boeing Co 0.97
Apple Inc 0.94
Visa Inc 0.86
Cisco 0.79
Chevron 0.72
Coca-Cola 0.72
Top sectors for the broad market were healthcare and consumer discretionary. Technology was also higher for the day, with the following stocks leading gains:
Gains (percent)
Biogen 2.47
Vodafone Group PLC ADR 2.35
In commodities, Gold traded higher as evidenced by the SPDR Gold Trust which reported a gain of 1.28 points or 1.02 percent. The dollar was lower for the day as the U.S. Dollar Index was down 0.22 points or 0.23 percent to 95.87.
Small-Cap Stocks
In small-caps, the Russell 2000 was higher at 1251.83 for a gain of 12.03 points or 0.97 percent. The S&P 600 Small-Cap Index was higher at 761.87 for a gain of 8.76 points or 1.16 percent. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index was higher at 7620.49 for a gain of 70.64 points or 0.94 percent. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM Index was higher at 8857.62 for a gain of 91.88 points or 1.05 percent.
Other Notable Indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1578.68 for a gain of 15.10 points or 0.97 percent; the S&P 100 Index at 963.67 for a gain of 3.43 points or 0.36 percent; the Russell 3000 Index at 1291.22 for a gain of 6.50 points or 0.51 percent; the Russell 1000 Index at 1208.94 for a gain of 5.64 points or 0.47 percent; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 618.94 for a gain of 5.38 points or 0.88 percent.
