US open: Stocks higher following NFP report

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street stocks were in the green early on Friday as market participants digested a slightly better-than-expected nonfarm payrolls report.

As of 1530 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.14% at 44,828.00, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.36% to 6,096.85 and the Nasdaq Composite came out the gate 0.70% firmer at 19,838.92

The Dow opened 62.29 points higher on Friday after major indices retreated from record highs in the previous session.

Friday's primary focus will be November's nonfarm payrolls report, which revealed hiring in the US rebounded a tad more strongly than expected last month, once the impact from hurricanes and strikes in October had passed. According to the Department of Labor, in seasonally adjusted terms, non-farm payrolls grew by 227,000 in November, ahead of expectations for an increase of 214,000.

Readings for the previous two months combined were marked up by 56,000, while the three-month moving average of payrolls gains printed at 173,000. Average hourly earnings were up at a month-on-month pace of 0.4%, ahead of consensus estimates for a reading of 0.3%, while the unemployment rate ticked higher by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.2%, line with economists' forecasts.

Elsewhere on the macro front, US consumer sentiment increased for a fifth straight month in December, according to a preliminary reading of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, which rose to 70.4, the highest reading since April and ahead of forecasts of 73.

Still to come, October consumer credit change figures will follow at 2000 GMT.

In the corporate space, athletics apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica shares traded higher on the back of a quarterly earnings beat, while beauty retailer Ulta Beauty also traded higher following its own top and bottom line earnings beat.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Dow Jones - Risers

Nike Inc. (NKE) $80.79 2.81%

Home Depot Inc. (HD) $434.48 1.86%

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $8.59 1.36%

International Business Machines Corporation (CDI) (IBM) $237.35 1.11%

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $302.39 0.98%

Walmart Inc. (WMT) $96.07 0.81%

Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $363.78 0.66%

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $397.37 0.61%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $20.92 0.57%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $244.24 0.49%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $557.20 -3.76%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $155.52 -2.39%

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $42.14 -0.96%

Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $261.45 -0.69%

Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $42.01 -0.41%

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $103.23 -0.31%

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $595.14 -0.28%

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $245.02 -0.19%

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $273.85 -0.17%

3M Co. (MMM) $133.18 -0.11%

S&P 500 - Risers

Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. (ULTA) $436.96 11.22%

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) $23.74 9.66%

VF Corp. (VFC) $21.73 6.34%

Dollar General Corp (DG) $83.57 4.99%

Foot Locker Inc. (FL) $22.05 4.16%

Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) $236.74 3.92%

Albemarle Corp. (ALB) $104.65 3.51%

Under Armour Inc. Class A (UAA) $10.38 3.49%

Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) $1.05 3.43%

Under Armour, Inc. (UA) $9.29 3.34%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP) $32.69 -6.05%

Diamondback Energy Inc. (FANG) $165.83 -3.97%

National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NOV) $15.03 -3.87%

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $557.20 -3.76%

Halliburton Co. (HAL) $28.95 -3.55%

Apache Corp. (APA) $21.16 -3.14%

Globe Life Inc. (GL) $103.34 -3.07%

Coterra Energy Inc. (CTRA) $24.89 -3.00%

Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) $34.93 -2.86%

Eog Resources Inc. (EOG) $126.46 -2.74%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. (ULTA) $436.96 11.22%

Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) $236.74 3.92%

Sirius XM Holdings Inc (SIRI) $27.94 3.21%

JD.com, Inc. (JD) $37.58 3.21%

Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $552.91 2.73%

Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) $174.49 2.36%

Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) $74.17 2.21%

Trip.com Group Limited (TCOM) $68.60 2.07%

Amazon.Com Inc. (AMZN) $224.70 1.88%

American Airlines Group (AAL) $17.70 1.86%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Liberty Global plc Series A (LBTYA) $13.49 -2.63%

Liberty Global plc Series C (LBTYK) $14.06 -2.33%

PACCAR Inc. (PCAR) $115.92 -1.45%

Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) $31.06 -0.61%

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $98.71 -0.53%

Hasbro Inc (HAS) $66.77 -0.49%

Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) $190.27 -0.38%

Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $403.01 -0.28%

Paypal Holdings Inc (PYPL) $88.80 -0.28%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $181.36 -0.27%