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By Chris Dieterich And Christian Berthelsen Stocks rose after the U.S. economy added more jobs than expected last month, driving the Nasdaq Composite to an 11-year high and pushing the Dow to its highest reading in almost four years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 154 points, or 1.2%, to 12859, its highest close since May 2008. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index tacked on 19 points, or 1.5%, to 1345, for its fifth straight weekly gain.The technology-oriented Nasdaq Composite Index gained 46 points, or 1.6%, to 2906, its highest level since December 2000. The Nasdaq is off to its best start to the year since 1991, up 12%. All 10 of the S&P 500's sectors rose Friday, with financials and consumer-discretionary stocks leading the way. Among blue chips, Bank of America rose 5.2% and Caterpillar added 3.3%.Friday's gains followed a strong employment report from the U.S. Labor Department. January data showed nonfarm payrolls rose 243,000 last month, marking the biggest gain since April. The jobless rate fell from 8.5% to 8.3%, the lowest it has been since February 2009.Stocks popped higher at the open and cruised along in positive territory all day. "The data seem to show the economy is mending a bit faster than it was a year or two years ago," said David Resler, chief economic adviser for Nomura Securities. The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 1.7%, closing at a six-month high. Asian bourses were mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average down 0.5% and China's Shanghai Composite up 0.8%. Gold futures dropped 1.1% to $1,737.90 a troy ounce, while crude-oil prices rose 1.5% to $97.84 a barrel. The dollar gained against the euro and yen. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.936%.In corporate news, Genworth Financial swung to a fourth-quarter profit as the insurer enjoyed net investment gains rather than losses and reported lower policy benefits. Shares climbed 14%.Gilead Sciences' fourth-quarter earnings rose 5.7% as the biopharmaceutical company's product sales continued to rise and it no longer booked deep reductions in royalties. Shares gained 11%. Wynn Resorts' fourth-quarter profit climbed 67% on a tax benefit and as the casino operator's Macau operations continued to post revenue growth, yet a battle between Chief Executive Steve Wynn and a shareholder overshadowed the results. Shares fell 4.8%. ...
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