US stocks gained on Friday despite the release of government data which showed the unemployment rate hit a 26 ½ year high.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 17 points to 10,023. The S&P500 Index is 3 points higher to 1,069 and the NASDAQ gained 7 points to 2,112.
In the latest economic news:The Labor Department said that the US jobless rate jumped to 10.2% last month as employers cut 190,000 jobs in October, more than predicted earlier, but less than the 219,000 jobs lost in September.
In company news: General Electric Co (NYSE:GE) added 6.24% to $15.33, after upgrades by two analysts helped push the industrial sector higher.
Travelers Cos (NYSE:TRV) rose 2.49% to $51.90, after Goldman Sachs upgraded the insurer's stock to "buy" from "neutral".
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares rose 4.63% to $126.20. Bernstein upgraded the stock to "outperform" on the belief the company will continue to see growth and margin expansion in the future. Macys (NYSE:M) shares gained 6.44% to $19.18, as JP Morgan raised its rating to "overweight" from "neutral," citing improving monthly same-store sales at Macys and a potential for earnings upside.
In the NASDAQ Top 100: Nvidia was the best performer, adding 7.25% to $13.16, Followed by Starbucks and Amazon. The worst performer was Hansen Natural its down 6.81% to $34.46. Verisign and JB Hunt Transport Services also closed lower on Friday.
