Stocks up despite weak jobs report

Not great, but good enough: U.S. stocks rose Friday as investors viewed a relatively weak jobs report for August as likely to help keep interest rates low. Banks, energy companies and automakers led the way.

The Labor Department said U.S. employers added 156,000 jobs in August. That was a bit less than analysts expected, but investors were pleased that the economy kept growing at a steady pace while inflation remains weak. They bet that will keep the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates too quickly.

Car companies rose as they reported their August sales. Wall Street expects them to get a boost as Gulf Coast residents replace the cars that have been damaged by rains and flooding this week.

Banks rose as bond prices dropped, which sent yields and interest rates up.

The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average had its first change in more than two years on Friday, as longtime Dow component DuPont combined with former rival Dow Chemical to form DowDuPont.

This was the best week this year for the Nasdaq as technology and healthcare companies surged. The index is at record highs.

Long-term government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.16% from 2.12%, but the yield on the two-year note stayed at 1.33%.

General Motors rose 2.2% to $37.36. Ford rose 2.9% to $11.35. Fiat Chrysler jumped 7.2% to $61.68.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 6 cents to $47.29 a barrel. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, fell 11 cents to $52.75 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline prices, which have surged because of rains and flooding in the Gulf Coast, fell 3 cents to $1.75 a gallon.

Investors expect at least some companies will benefit from Hurricane Harvey, which is now a tropical depression: those that will be involved in the cleanup. Consulting and engineering services firm Tetra Tech climbed 1.8% to $43.35, for a 7% gain this week. Environmental services company Clean Harbors and radioactive and hazardous waste services company U.S. Ecology took small losses Friday, but for the week, Clean Harbors rose almost 5% and U.S. Ecology jumped 8.5%.

Lululemon Athletica jumped 7.2% to $61.69 after the athletic-inspired clothing firm reported a solid quarter and gave strong forecasts. Clothing retailers rallied after Lululemon’s report, including Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands, which rose 3.4% to $37.46.

Ambarella dived 22.4% to $42.24 after the Santa Clara, Calif., video-compression chipmaker lowered its annual sales forecast.

Gold rose $8.20 to $1,330.40 an ounce. Silver jumped 24 cents, or 1.4%, to $17.82 an ounce. Copper rose 2 cents to $3.12 a pound.

Heating oil was little changed at $1.75 a gallon. Natural gas rose 3 cents to $3.07 per 1,000 cubic feet.

The dollar rose to 110.24 yen from 109.98 yen. The euro fell $1.1869 to from $1.1903.