Market Watch 1/8/10

Stock Market Closing Prices – 1/8/10

Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DJIA ) Close – 10618.19 +11.33
Nasdaq Stock Market Close – 2317.17 +17.12
S&P 500 Close – 1144.98 +3.29

Commodities Closing Prices – 1/8/10

Gold Close – 1138.20
Oil Close – 82.75
Natural Gas – 5.73

A disappointing jobs report couldn't stop the stock market from having a strong start to the new year.

Stocks zigzagged for much of Friday but closed higher as investors took in stride the Labor Department's news that employers cut 85,000 jobs in December, far more than the 8,000 analysts expected. The disappointing numbers were offset by a pleasant surprise: November's report was revised to show the first job gains in nearly two years.

Next week, investors will get reports on retail sales and industrial production. A handful of corporate earnings reports from the final quarter of 2009 will start to arrive. Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. is scheduled to report its results after the closing bell on Monday and banker JPMorgan Chase & Co. reports on Friday.