The S&P 500 notched a fresh record high on Friday as quarterly results from technology companies including Facebook-parent Meta buoyed the sector and the January jobs report came in much better than expected.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 134.77 points to 38,654.42.
The S&P 500 index moved higher 52.42 points, or 1.1%, to 4,958.61.
The NASDAQ index popped 267.31 points, or 1.7%, to 15,628.95.
For the week, the S&P 500 added 1.6%, the NASDAQ gained 1.8% and the Dow rose 1.6%. It was fourth week in a row of gains for the major benchmarks after a stumble to start 2024.
Shares of Meta popped more than 21% after the social-media giant’s quarterly results topped analysts’ expectations. The Facebook-parent also announced it will pay a quarterly dividend for the first time, and it authorized a $50 billion share buyback program. Amazon shares jumped 7% on fourth-quarter beats.
Along with surging rates, the market also shook off tepid Apple results. The shares sat out the Friday rally and closed essentially flat after the iPhone juggernaut posted a 13% sales decline in China.
The rise in tech stocks helped shift investor focus from a scorching jobs report earlier on Friday. The government reported the U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs in January, well above the Dow Jones estimate of 185,000.
The moves follow a rebound session on Wall Street. The major averages gained around 1% each, a day after selling off on the back of the Federal Reserve signaling that a March rate cut was unlikely.
The report also included inflationary data in the form of greater-than-expected wage growth. Wages expanded by 4.5% year over year, more than a 4.1% forecast. This comes after Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled this week that a March rate cut was unlikely.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury faded, hiking yields to 4.02% from Thursday’s 3.88%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices lost $1.68 to $72.14 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices handed back $17.20 to $2,053.90.
