US markets close higher amid better than expected US jobs data

02 Nov 2019 Evaluate

The US markets settled higher with robust gains of around a percent on Friday amid better than expected US jobs data. The Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment climbed by 128,000 jobs in October compared to street estimates for an increase of about 89,000 jobs. The report also showed substantial upward revisions to job growth in September and August, with revised data showing employment jumped by 180,000 jobs and 219,000 jobs, respectively. With the upward revisions, employment gains in September and August combined were 95,000 more than previously reported. Despite the stronger than expected job growth, the report said the unemployment rate inched up to 3.6 percent in October from 3.5 percent in September. The uptick matched street estimates. The unemployment rate crept up from the nearly 50-year low hit in the previous month as a 325-person jump in the size of the labor force more than offset a 241,000-person increase in the household survey measure of employment.

Besides, renewed optimism about a US-China trade deal added to the positive sentiment, as a report from China's Xinhua News Agency said negotiators have reached consensus on principles. Meanwhile, traders largely shrugged off a separate report from the Institute for Supply Management showing a continued contraction in US manufacturing activity in the month of October. The ISM said its purchasing managers index crept up 48.3 in October from 47.8 in September, although a reading below 50 still indicates a contraction in manufacturing activity. Street had expected the index to rise to 48.9. In the previous month, the index fell to its lowest level since hitting 46.3 in June of 2009, the last month of the Great Recession.

Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 301.13 points or 1.11 percent to 27347.36, Nasdaq gained 94.04 points or 1.13 percent to 8386.40 and S&P 500 was up by 29.35 points or 0.97 percent to 3066.91.

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