This was once again the odd case that can only happen on Wall Street where bad news is taken as good news with the jobs report coming in below expectations.  But this was greeted as a positive since fewer jobs means the Fed might not raise rates again this year after all.  But rate stress relief was not the only good news that shot the Dow up 39 points.  There was also factory activity at its highest since 2011 and various other economic indicators supporting further growth.  One of the negatives was a fall in construction spending but we can bet that with the Harvey rebuilding that will reverse itself quite quickly.  This is the second week that all the indexes registered gains.  As it has been for the past month, volume remains light at 5.1 billion.

fri  SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 / 6:28 pM

Wall Street edges up as rate-hike bets in check after jobs data

Lewis Krauskopf

DJ: 21,987.56  +39.46     NAS: 6,435.33  +6.67      S&P: 2,476.55  +4.90       9/1

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street gained modestly on Friday as a tepid U.S. jobs report kept expectations muted for another interest rate hike this year, while investors kicked off a typically dour month for stocks on a positive note.  U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in August after two straight months of hefty increases. The Labor Department said on Friday nonfarm payrolls increased by 156,000 last month, while economists had forecast an increase of 180,000.

Following the data, traders were betting on a 39 percent chance that the Federal Reserve would raise rates at its December meeting, similar to bets earlier in the week, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool.

“The latest economic data that came out today ... didn’t provide information to the Fed that they need to go out and raise interest rates,” said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services in Hammond, Indiana.  “The data kind of continued to show this Goldilocks-type situation, which the market tends to like,” Carlson said. “It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold.”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 39.46 points, or 0.18 percent, to end at 21,987.56, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 4.9 points, or 0.20 percent, to 2,476.55 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 6.67 points, or 0.1 percent, to 6,435.33. 

Market watchers were also digesting other economic data. U.S. construction spending unexpectedly fell in July, hitting a nine-month low, but the Institute for Supply Management said its index for factory activity soared to 58.8 in August, the highest reading since April 2011.

 “The markets are up, I think, because the economic data that has been released is still supportive of economic growth, still supportive of earnings growth, which ultimately is going to drive stock prices,” said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago.

Energy .SPNY and materials .SPLRCM led among major stock sectors while utilities .SPLRCU lagged the most.  The S&P 500 hovered near all-time highs as major stock indexes marked gains for a second straight week. The Nasdaq tallied a record closing high after minting its best week of the year.

The benchmark S&P had posted a 0.06 percent gain in August, its most sluggish monthly performance since March’s slight decline. September ranks as the worst month for stocks, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac.

Shares of major automakers climbed after the companies reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks as Houston area residents replace cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey. General Motors (GM.N) rose 2.2 percent and Ford Motor (F.N) gained 2.9 percent.  Lululemon Athletica (LULU.O) shares rose 7.2 percent after the yoga and leisure apparel maker reported profit and revenue that topped expectations.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 2.30-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.92-to-1 ratio favored advancers.

About 5.1 billion shares changed hands in U.S. exchanges, below the 5.8 billion daily average over the last 20 sessions.