Stocks closed higher Friday after the latest jobs report came in much stronger than anyone was expecting. Investors also looked ahead to next week's busy lineup, which includes a key inflation update and the start of third-quarter earnings season.
Ahead of the open, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the U.S. added 254,000 new jobs in September – easily outpacing economists' estimate for the addition of 150,000 positions. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from 4.2%.
