Dow tops 15,000 for first time on jobs report

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 15,000 for the first time Friday following a solid US jobs report. At 1447 GMT, the Dow reached 15,003.24, up 171.66, or 1.16 percent. The rise followed a US Labor Department report that showed the US economy added 165,000 jobs in April, well above market expectations. Upward revisions for the prior two months also showed 114,000 more jobs were added than initially estimated. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, a broad measure of the markets, earlier had topped 1,600 points for the first time. Among the Dow's blue-chip companies, the biggest gains came in industrial companies like Alcoa (up 2.4 percent), Caterpillar (up 2.8 percent), General Electric (up 2.3 percent and 3M (up 2.3 percent).