U.S.: Wall Street gains on stellar jobs report U.S. employers added 254,000 jobs in September, surpassing estimates and signaling continued economic strength. The S&P 500 closed up 0.90%, and the Dow neared its record, up 0.81%. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 1.22% with big gains for Nvidia, Broadcom, and Advanced Micro Devices.

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks closed higher after a surprisingly strong U.S. jobs report raised optimism about the economy. The S&P 500 added 0.9% Friday and neared its all-time high set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.8% and reached its own record. The Nasdaq composite rose 1.2%.

Stocks jumped following the blockbuster report, which provided Wall Street with further reassurance that the labor market is on solid ground. Rallying stocks are good news for Americans' 401 (K) balances, which tend to be invested in the major indices.