Stock Market Watch

Stocks End Higher for a Third Straight Day

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Stocks gained for a third straight day on Friday as investors cheered better than expected jobs report for the month of February. According to the figures released by the Labor Department, the U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate remained at 8.3%.

Investors’ sentiment was also lifted on Friday by the completion of the debt swap deal between Greece and its creditors.


The Dow Jones ended the day 0.11% higher at 12,922.02, the S&P 500 ended the day 0.36% higher at 1,370.87, and the Nasdaq ended the day 0.60% higher at 2,988.34. For the week, the Dow Jones fell 0.43%, the S&P 500 rose 0.09%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.41%.

Consumer Cyclical stocks led the gains in the S&P 500 on Friday, ending the day 1.41% higher. Industrials also rose sharply on Friday, ending the day 0.47% higher. Technology stocks ended the day 0.54% higher. Financials rose 0.32%. Energy stocks were the worst performers in the S&P 500 on Friday, ending the day 0.36% lower.

Among the major gainers in trading on Friday were Aastrom Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTM), which ended the day 20.88% higher at $2.20, Coffee Holding Co. Inc. (NASDAQ: JVA), which ended the day 35.03% higher at $10.60, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC), which ended the day 22.79% higher at $6.95, Quest Software Inc. (NASDAQ: QSFT), which ended the day 24.07% higher at $24.07, and Solazyme Inc. (NASDAQ: SYZM), which ended the day 6.16% higher at $12.93.

European markets also rose on Friday, with the FTSE 100 Index in London ending the day 0.47% higher at 5,887.49, and the CAC 40 Index in Paris ending the day 0.26% higher at 3,487.48. Asian markets also rose on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 Index ending 1.65% higher.

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edliston
Post Written By: Ed Liston

Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing in his yacht.


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Ed Liston

Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing.

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