Equities Rise Intraday as Markets Weigh Jobs, Other Macro Data

02:16 PM EST, 01/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were higher intraday as traders parsed latest economic data, including a report showing that the unemployment rate fell in December.

The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.9% at 23,682.6 after midday Friday, while the S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 6,971.6. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5% to 49,526.3. Barring financials, all sectors were in the green, led by materials and utilities.

In economic news, total nonfarm payrolls in the US rose by 50,000 last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. The consensus was for a 70,000 increase, according to a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The unemployment rate decreased to 4.4% in December from a downwardly revised 4.5% the month before, which was Wall Street's view.

"The labor market appears to have stabilized at the end of last year," TD Economics said in a note.

The probability of the US central bank keeping its benchmark lending rate unchanged later this month jumped to 95% on Friday from 89% Thursday, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

"The (jobs) data doesn't change our view for the (Federal Reserve) to keep policy steady as Fed members wait for more data on the labor market and inflation," Oxford Economics said in a note.

US consumer sentiment improved in January to its highest point since September, but remained subdued compared to year-ago levels amid inflation and labor market concerns, preliminary results from a University of Michigan survey showed.

"Although consumers' worries about tariffs appear to be gradually receding, they remain guarded about the overall strength of business conditions and labor markets," Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu said. "Note that more than 90% of interviews for this release were collected prior to the capture of (Nicolas) Maduro in Venezuela."

US housing starts declined in October as a double-digit drop in multi-family units muted gains in the single-family component, delayed government data showed Friday.

US Treasury yields were mixed intraday, with the 10-year rate down 1.4 basis points at 4.17% and the two-year rate rising 4.6 basis points to 3.53%.

Late Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he was instructing his "representatives" to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds. "This will drive mortgage rates down, monthly payments down, and make the cost of owning a home more affordable," Trump said in a social media post.

Builders FirstSource (BLDR) shares were up 11% intraday Friday, among the best performers on the S&P 500. Lennar (LEN) , D.R. Horton (DHI) , PulteGroup (PHM) , and Weyerhaeuser (WY) also registered gains.

Contrary to recent market speculation, the US Supreme Court didn't rule Friday on the legality of sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump last year, news outlets reported. The court is reportedly expected to issue its next rulings Wednesday.

In company news, Meta Platforms (META) on Friday announced separate nuclear power agreements with Vistra (VST) , Oklo (OKLO) , and TerraPower as the technology giant aims to strengthen its data center operations and support artificial intelligence plans.

Vistra (VST) shares jumped nearly 11%, among the top gainers on the S&P 500, while Oklo (OKLO) surged 8.4%. Facebook and Instagram parent Meta was last up 0.9%.

General Motors (GM) was among the worst performers on the S&P 500, down 3.5%. The automaker said late Thursday it expected to incur $7.1 billion in charges in the fourth quarter of 2025, most of which are tied to its electric vehicle operations in North America.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 2.8% at $59.36 a barrel intraday Friday.

"Oil prices rose on concerns about potential disruption to Iran's output and uncertainty about supply from Venezuela," D.A. Davidson said in a note to clients.

Gold was up 1.2% at $4,512.30 per troy ounce, while silver jumped 6.2% to $79.80 per ounce.

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