The S&P 500 index rose 0.4% on Friday to a record for a seventh day after U.S. employers hired more people in October than expected. The S&P 500 rose to 4,697.53 after the government reported the U.S. economy added 531,000 jobs last month, better than the consensus forecast of 450,000. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.6% to 36,327.95, also hitting a new high. The Nasdaq composite added 0.2% to 15,971.59.
The U.S. government is due to report inflation this week. Investors are watching price rises amid fears stronger inflationary pressures might prompt the Federal Reserve and other central banks to pull back stimulus that is boosting stock prices.
Asian stock markets were mostly lower Monday after China reported a double-digit rise in exports. Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Sydney declined while Shanghai advanced. China's October exports rose 27.1% over a year earlier, though that eased off the previous month's 28.1% growth, customs data showed Sunday. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo fell 0.3% to 29,528.45 while the Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.1% to 3,495.04. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.6% to 24,728.63.
Energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 99 cents to $82.26 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $2.46 to $81.27 on Friday. Brent crude, the price basis for international oils, gained 90 cents to $83.65 per barrel in London. The previous session, it added $2.20 to $82.74.
