US stocks get a boost from solid March jobs report
By MARLEY JAY, Associated Press
Apr 1, 2016 3:07 PM CDT
FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2014, file photo, the statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall faces the facade of the New York Stock Exchange. U.S. stocks are sinking with the price of oil and precious metals Friday, April 1, 2016. Energy and mining companies are taking the biggest losses. Global...   (Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks closed higher as traders got some encouragement from a solid report on the job market.

Consumer companies gained Friday after the government said job growth continued at a strong clip in March.

Energy and mining companies struggled as the prices of oil and precious metals fell.

The price of U.S. benchmark crude slumped 4 percent to just under $37 a barrel in New York.

The Dow Jones industrial average shook off an early loss closed up 107 points, or 0.6 percent, to 17,792.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 13 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,072. The Nasdaq composite gained 44 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,914.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.78 percent.