Awwal 01, 1432, Feb 04, 2011, SPA -- A smaller than anticipated increase in the number of U.S. jobs created in January weighed on stocks Friday, though the retreat was kept in check by news that the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in nearly two years, AP reported. The Labor Department reported that employers, both private and public, added only 36,000 jobs during the month. That was way below expectations for payrolls growth of 140,000 but may have been due to the fact that around 700,000 people couldn't get to work because of the weather. Though the headline payrolls number disappointed, another indicator _ based on different figures _ suggested a marked improvement in the labor market. The unemployment rate fell to 9 percent, its lowest level since April 2009, from 9.4 percent. It's the second month running that the U.S. jobs report has provided a confusing picture of the state of the U.S. labor market. Many are blaming the heavy snow in some parts of the country for the diverging statistics. «February's report should hopefully offer some slightly more reliable insights, but not if the current weather trends persist into survey week,» said Marc Ostwald, markets strategist at Monument Securities. -- SPA
