Wall St closes higher as Amazon's gains offset weak job growth
Amazon.com surges as retail strength boosts profit
US job growth slows sharply in October
Consumer discretionary index pops
Adds preliminary closing details
By Abigail Summerville
Nov 1 (Reuters) -Wall Street's major indexes ended higher on Friday, rebounding from the previous day's sell-off as Amazon's strong earnings countered a significant drop in U.S. job growth in October.
Amazon.com AMZN.O rose after it reported earnings on Thursday that revealed strong retail sales, boosting profit above Wall Street estimates.
Meanwhile, Apple AAPL.O fell as investors worried about a decline in its China sales during its most recent quarter.
Other so-called Magnificent Seven members Meta Platforms META.O and Microsoft MSFT.O also reported earnings earlier this week and warned on AI-related infrastructure costs, dragging the Nasdaq .IXIC down on Thursday.
"A new month frequently seems to offer new optimism for investors - especially after we saw a sharp decline yesterday - and after seeing encouraging results from Apple and Amazon," said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.
Equity markets brushed off weak U.S. October nonfarm payrolls data, given disruptions from hurricanes and strikes. The data showed an increase of 12,000 jobs, much smaller than economists' estimate of a 113,000 rise.
However, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, reassuring investors the labor market remained on solid ground ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday.
"Third-quarter earnings, interest rates and the election continue to be the main drivers in the near term," Stovall said.
According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 22.72 points, or 0.40%, to end at 5,728.17 points, while the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC gained 144.62 points, or 0.80%, to 18,239.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 290.49 points, or 0.70%, to 42,053.95.
After the jobs data was released, investors largely stuck to bets that the central bank would cut rates by 25 basis points in November.
The U.S. election is on investors' minds, with many analysts predicting a close presidential race and some uncertainty over the final outcome. The Fed's November meeting kicks off the following day.
Amazon.com's gains lifted the Consumer Discretionary index .SPLRCD to a more than two-year high, while utility .SPLRCU and real estate .SPLRCR stocks were the biggest sectoral decliners.
Intel INTC.O jumped after a better-than-expected revenue forecast. An index of chip stocks .SOX also rose.
Chevron CVX.N shares rose after the company beat third-quarter profit estimates on higher oil output.
Inflation, unemployment and wages https://reut.rs/3C3TBQ5
U.S. unemployment jpg https://reut.rs/2X245ch
Reporting by Abigail Summerville in New York; additional reporting by Lisa Mattackal in Bengaluru; Editing by Matthew Lewis
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