Stocks rose on Wall Street Friday and Treasury yields fell after the federal government reported that employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month.
- The S&P 500 rose 47.68 points, or 0.6%, to 7,757.64, ending the week 3.6% higher.
- The Dow rose 151.83 points, or 0.3%, to 54,036.93, closing out the week up 3%.
- The Nasdaq composite rose 342.26 points, or 1.3%, to 26,690.62, up 5.2% for the week.
Every major index notched a second straight week of gains, which included several fresh records, the AP reports. It marks a strong start to August following several weak months. Technology stocks, with their big market values, did much of the heavy lifting for the broader market. They are often the heaviest weights determining the market's direction. Nvidia jumped 2.3%, and Broadcom rose 1.7%. The bond market reacted more strongly to the weaker signal on the jobs market, which could be seen as allowing the Federal Reserve more time before raising interest rates to fight inflation. The jobs report capped a week dominated by corporate earnings and concerns about the ongoing Iran war.
Corporate earnings for the second quarter are on track for the strongest growth since 2021. Nearly 90% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported their results, and analysts expect profit growth of 50% overall. That has helped allay concerns on Wall Street about whether big gains for stocks in 2026 are justified. Strong profits help support those gains in stock values. Friday was a light day for earnings as companies near the close of the latest round of reports. Airbnb jumped 17.4% following the vacation-rental company's report late Thursday that showed stronger profit and revenue for its most recent quarter than analysts expected. Oil prices gained ground. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 1.3% to $83.55 a barrel.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
