NEW YORK: The S&P 500 and Dow industrials closed slightly higher on Friday as investors digested a mixed U.S. jobs report and bet on a Federal Reserve interest rate cut this month, while China's stimulus plan helped ease some concerns around global growth.
U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in August, with retail hiring declining for a seventh straight month, but this was countered by strong wage gains which are expected to support consumer spending and keep the economy expanding moderately amid rising threats from trade tensions.