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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, July 9, 2005

Optimism amid terror pushes stocks higher

By Michael J. Martinez
Associated Press

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NEW YORK — Wall Street ended a volatile and unusual week on a bullish note yesterday, with the Dow Jones industrials gaining more than 146 points on the strength of a positive job creation report and a sharp drop in oil prices.

As European markets surged one day after the deadly terrorist bombings in London, Wall Street welcomed the Labor Department's jobs report. While the 146,000 jobs created in June were less than the 195,000 economists hoped for, the unemployment rate fell to 5 percent from 5.1 percent in May, and hourly earnings rose 0.2 percent.

Combined with falling oil prices, the employment news was enough to encourage Wall Street's two main camps. Those who fear inflation were happy with only a modest rise in job growth and wages, while those worried about a severe slowdown in the economy could point to another sign of steady, if slower, growth.

The move higher capped a remarkable week on Wall Street, which saw fear of rising oil prices replaced by a surprising resolve in the wake of the terror attacks in London.

Broader stock indicators also moved sharply higher. The Nasdaq composite index climbed 37.22, or 1.79 percent, to 2,112.88, its highest level since Jan. 3. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 13.99, or 1.17 percent, at 1,211.86.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by more than 3 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where final consolidated volume came to 1.93 billion shares, compared with 1.95 billion on Thursday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was up 12.84, or 1.98 percent, at 662.14.