New York March 17 (IANS) US stocks ended higher on Friday as investors meditated on a batch of generally positive economic reports.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 72.85 points or 0.29 per cent to 24 946.51. The S&P 500 increased 4.68 points or 0.17 per cent to 2 752.01 Xinhua news agency reported.
The Nasdaq Composite Index edged up 0.25 point or less than 0.01 per cent to 7 481.99.
Following a decline of 0.3 per cent in January US industrial production rose 1.1 per cent in February well above market estimates of a 0.4-per cent gain the Federal Reserve reported on Friday.
The number of job openings increased to 6.3 million on the last business day of January beating market expectations of 5.8 million the US Labor Department said on Friday.
The preliminary reading of US consumer sentiment in March rose to 102 higher than economists estimates of 98.8 according to a survey released by the University of Michigan on Friday.
Meanwhile US privately-owned housing starts in February were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1 236 000 missing market consensus the Commerce Department announced on Friday.
Investors also kept a close eye on the country s political developments in the wake of major personnel changes in the White House including the departure of Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and the naming of Lawrence Kudlow as the director of the National Economic Council.
--IANS
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