Jobs, Brexit Progress Send Stocks Higher

Health care stocks especially did well Friday
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 8, 2017 3:15 PM CST
Jobs, Brexit Progress Send Stocks Higher
In this Monday, Aug. 24, 2015 file photo, a man walks towards the New York Stock Exchange.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Stocks ended higher Friday as investors welcomed a strong US jobs report and progress in Britain's talks about leaving the European Union, the AP reports. Health care stocks rose more than the rest of the market. Alexion Pharmaceuticals jumped 7.2% after the New York Times reported that an activist hedge fund has taken a stake in the company. European markets rose. In addition to advances in the Brexit talks, investors were also relieved that Germany moved closer to forming a coalition government.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 14 points, or 0.6%, to 2,651. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 117 points, or 0.5%, to 24,329. The Nasdaq composite added 27 points, or 0.4%, to 6,840.

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