An upbeat jobs report propelled U.S. stock indexes to dizzying highs Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 156.82 points or 1.23 percent to close the trading session at 12,862.23. On the New York Stock Exchange, 2,387 stocks advanced and 654 declined on volume of 4.596 billion shares.
The Nasdaq composite index picked up 45.98 points or 1.61 percent to end at 2,905.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 19.36 points or 1.46 percent to finish at 1,344.90.
The Dow was at its highest level since before the financial crisis in 2008 while the Nasdaq reached its highest mark in 11 years, analysts told MarketWatch.com.
The Labor Department said 243,000 jobs were added to the economy in January, nudging the unemployment rate down to 8.3 percent from 8.5 percent. The unemployment rate, the lowest in three years, was at 10 percent a year earlier.
"The U.S. economy is moving in the right direction," said Mark Coffelt, portfolio manager of the Empiric core Equity Fund.
The U.S. Commerce Department said orders to factories in December rose 1.1 percent, off from economists' expectations of 1.5 percent.
The Institute for Supply Management's index of non-manufacturing industries advanced to 56.8 in January from 53 in December, the 26th consecutive month of growth.
The 10-year treasury note fell 29/32 to yield 1.929 percent.
The euro was virtually flat at $1.3146, up from Thursday's $1.3144. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 76.57 from Thursday's 76.22 yen.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index lost 0.51 percent, 44.89, to 8,831.93.
In London, the FTSE 100 index added 1.81 percent, 105.00, to 5,901.07.
