Dow jumps 260 points, posts best week since November after jobs report spurs rate-cut hopes

Stocks jumped on Friday, building on strong weekly gains, as weak economic data increased the odds of easier monetary policy from the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 263.28 points higher at 25,983.94, led by gains in Microsoft and Apple. The S&P 500 climbed 1% to 2,873.34 as the tech sector outperformed. The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.7% to 7,742.10. The U.S. economy added 75,000 jobs in May, marking the second time in four months that jobs growth totaled less than 100,000. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected an increase of 180,000 jobs. Wage growth also slowed. “The market’s got a ...