Overwhelming jobs data helps US markets reach multi-year highs on Friday

04 Feb 2012 Evaluate
The unexpectedly better than expected US nonfarm payrolls report provided a much-needed shot in the arm to market participants on the last trading session of the week which helped the American benchmark indices to reach the highest levels in many years. While the hefty broad based buying sent the Dow Jones industrial to the highest levels in four years, the tech heavy Nasdaq catapulted to the highs not seen in 11 years. According to a data released by the US Labor Department, businesses accelerated hiring in January, creating jobs at the fastest rate in about nine months and signaling that worries over deep recession are making way for economic recovery. The economy created 243,000 net new jobs which pulled down the unemployment rate to lowest levels since February 2009 to 8.3 percent.

Sentiments in the US also were supported by sanguine leads from the Europe bourses which rallied on the back of upbeat Euro-zone composite purchasing manager's index (PMI) data which confirmed the fact that private-sector activity expanded in January as the index rose to 50.4 in January from 48.3 in December. However, the outcome was still elusive over the long awaited Greece debt negotiations as the country's political leaders and its private-sector creditors scrambled to complete twin negotiations on an aid package and mammoth debt deal.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 156.82 points or 1.23 percent to settle at 12,862.23. The S&P 500 climbed 19.36 points or 1.46 percent to close at 1,344.90, while the Nasdaq finished up 45.98 points or 1.61 percent, at 2,905.66.

Indian ADRs settled with strong gains on Friday, HDFC Bank was up by 3.36%, ICICI Bank was up by 3.07%, Tata Motors was up 2.88%, Infosys was up 2.86% and Wipro was up 2.05%.

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