Major U.S. stock indexes climbed considerably on Friday, after a government report showed employers cut jobs at a slower rate than expected. The S&P has jumped 36 percent since hitting a more than 12-year low on March 9th. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 164.80 points, or 1.96 percent, to close at 8574.85. The technology-heavy Nasdaq rose 22.76 points, or 1.33 percent, to close at 1739.33. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 rose 21.84, or 2.41 percent, to close at 929.23. The New York Stock Exchange Composite Index rose 200.30 points, or 3.45 percent, to close at 6000.39. The American Stock Exchange Composite Index rose 54.61 points, to 3.72 percent, to close at 1,522.75. The Russell 2000 Index climbed 18.88 points, or 3.83 percent, to close at 511.82.
