Afternoon Markets: Dow rockets 100 points on positive job data

The Dow Jones soared to a near 100-point gain in early trading on Friday as positive job data bolstered investor confidence.

Shortly after opening, the US blue chip index climbed 95.83 points, or 1.04%, to 9,352.09. The latest data from the Labor Department suggests the pace of US job losses slowed more than forecast last month, while the unemployment rate dropped for the first time since April 2008, to 9.4% from 9.5%. Alcoa added 2.73% to $12.8, while American Express gained 2.2% to $31.31. The latter has more than tripled its stock value since March. The positive sentiment also awakened UK investor appetite, the FTSE climbing more than 15 points, or 0.34%, to 4,706.29. Serco Group is leading the mix...