US stocks end higher

Wall Street made a muted advance today but still finished the week lower after a better-than-expected employment report raised hopes about the US economy’s strength despite the recent hurricanes.

The market came back from three straight days of losses after the Labour Department said September payrolls, while down for the first time in two years, fell by only 35,000 jobs. Fearing an economic slump in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, economists had forecast a drop of 150,000.