Wall Street opens higher after strong jobs report

A day after suffering a sharp drop following tech giant Apple’s warning, Wall Street stocks have today been boosted by better-than-expected jobs growth data and optimism about proposed trade talks between the US and China next week.

US employers hired the most workers in 10 months in December and the average hourly pay improved 3.2 percent — up from 2.7 percent in 2017.

Job creation in 2018 rose to a monthly average of 220,000 positions, far higher than the 182,000 recorded in 2017 but lower than 2014 and 2015.

Another MASSIVE jobs report:
*312,000 new jobs in December
*3.9% unemployment
*Average hourly wages are UP 3.2%@realDonaldTrump’s policies are working for America’s workers!https://t.co/4x3AMobakn

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) January 4, 2019

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now 431.7 points up to 23,117.95. Chip maker Intel tops the winners, climbing 2.7% to $45.70. The S&P 500 has climbed 39 points to 2,486.96.