U.S. payrolls rise 157,000; jobless rate rises to 7.9%

— The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent in January, from 7.8 percent in December, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Employers added 157,000 jobs in January, and hiring was stronger at the end of 2012 than previously thought, a sign to economists that the job market held steady even as economic growth stalled.

The jobs report pushed stocks upward Friday as traders focused on the positive. The Dow Jones industrial average briefly rose above 14,000 after 9 a.m., passing the 14,000 mark for the first time in more than five years.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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