Friday’s session ended with gains. The Dow hit an intraday record high, led up by the likes of Caterpillar and Alcoa. Indices closed in the green zone today amid the release of better-than-expected jobs data and a dip in service industry activity. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an addition of 165,000 non-farm payrolls in April. Up from an upwardly revised 138,000 in March, economists were expecting a lesser addition of 140,000 jobs last month. Additionally, the unemployment rate held steady at 7.6 percent. On another note, service industry growth decreased in April. The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index slipped to 53.1 in April from 54.4 in March. Economists were expecting a decline to 54. Elsewhere, factory orders retreated in March. Orders fell 4 percent, compared to a downwardly revised 5.8 percent drop in February.
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