Wall St mixed as investors snap up financial stocks

Stocks reversed a steep sell-off to end mostly higher today as fears about a worrying jobs report gave way to bargain-hunting in sectors like financials and consumer staples.

Wall Street initially fell after the Labor Department reported that payrolls shrank more than predicted last month and that the unemployment rate reached a five-year high. But stocks which had been pounded lower, including a huge drop yesterday, were suddenly more attractive to investors willing to make some bets.