The U.S. stock market rebounded Friday from a deep slump earlier in the week to muster the first positive five-day stretch after three weeks of declines.
The day’s modest gains added to a strong finish for stocks a day earlier, enough for the Dow Jones industrial average to eke out a 0.6 percent gain for the week, while the S&P 500 index finished up 0.8 percent. Both are still down for the year.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 165.55 points, or 1.1 percent, to 15,794.08. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 23.59 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,797.02. The Nasdaq composite increased 68.74 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,125.86.
Expedia led the gains in the S&P 500 index, surging 14 percent after reporting that its profit and revenue jumped as hotel bookings increased.
A widely anticipated jobs report from the Labor Department showed U.S. employers added 113,000 jobs last month, less than the average monthly gain of 194,000 in 2013. This followed a December increase of just 75,000.
The overall payroll figure disappointed markets, and index futures fell before regular stock trading began. Stocks moved higher in midmorning trading as investors dug deeper into the details of the report, which also showed that manufacturers, construction firms, and mining and drilling companies added 76,000 jobs combined, a strong showing.
“The market had a tough time figuring out what to do with the [jobs] number when it first came out,” said J.J. Kinahan, chief strategist with TD Ameritrade. “As the day went on, it just kind of discounted some of the negatives in there to say, ‘What do we really want? We want a growing economy, and these are the jobs we got for a growing economy.’”
The government also reported that the nation’s unemployment rate dipped to 6.6 percent in January from 6.7 percent in December. It was the lowest rate since October 2008.
The market dug itself a hole at the start of the week, plunging more than 2 percent Monday. The slide began with investor anxiety over an industry survey that found that manufacturing grew much more slowly in January than in December.
The outlook began to brighten at midweek, with a survey of private businesses that showed companies added 175,000 jobs in January, roughly in line with average monthly gains the past two years. On Thursday, news that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week helped lift the market.
The Dow is still down 4.7 percent for the year, while the S&P 500 is down 2.8 percent.
Friday was a good day for some travel stocks.
Expedia shares soared $9.31, or 14.3 percent, to $74.45, while TripAdvisor leapt $7.31, or 9.5 percent, to $84.45.
Among the stocks that ended with sizable gains Friday were publishing company News Corp., which rose $1.39, or 8.7 percent, to $17.41. The Gap also added $2.29, or 5.8 percent, to $42.
Some stocks missed the rally.
LinkedIn fell $13.86 or 6.2 percent, to $209.59 after the company said its performance may falter this year as it spends more on long-term projects and revenue growth slows.
Business, Pages 28 on 02/08/2014