Wall Street’s key S&P 500 index gained another 0.6% to propel it to yet another record close, little affected by weaker-than-expected jobs data.
The blue-chip Dow gained 0.5%, while tech-centric Nasdaq picked up 0.8% on strong demand for chipmakers and the likes of Broadcom (+3.8%), Alphabet (+1%) and Tesla (+2.1%).
Intel jumped 11% after US President Donald Trump said he had a “great meeting” with the chipmaker’s CEO, Lip-Bu Tan.
Wall Street shows little sign of a New Year’s hangover, with the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq up 1.6%, 1.9% and 2.3% respectively in their first full week’s trading of the year.
European stocks, as measured by the Eurostoxx 600, also closed at a record, as did the UK’s FTSE.
The ASX looks like trailing along in that risk-on vibe, with futures trading pointing to a 0.3% gain on opening.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly report showed 50,000 workers were added to nonfarm payrolls in December, compared with expectations for a rise of 60,000.
The impact of soft job creation was offset by a slight decline in the unemployment rate, down a tick to 4.4% from 4.5% in November.
Overall, the jobs figures were seen as giving the Fed some “breathing space” to leave rates on hold, with the chance of a January rate cut easing from 14% to just 5%.
That meant US Treasuries and the US dollar edged higher and the Aussie dollar lower.
Gold pushed back above $4,500/ounce, while copper also rose (+2.1%), clinching its fourth consecutive week of gains.
Oil also bubbled up, the global benchmark Brent crude gained 2.2% to $63.34/barrel to be up around 4% over the week.