Stocks opened sharply higher on Wall Street on Friday after the November labour market report showed the US economy to be surprisingly robust. Unemployment fell to 4.4% while over a quarter of a million jobs were created. Annual earnings growth was nevertheless restrained, growing by just 0.3% in the month..

The Dow Jones industrial average was up nearly 100 points in the first ten minutes of trading. At 1510GMT the index was up 85 points, or 1%, at 8965. The technology heavy Nasdaq composite index was up even more strongly, up 25.70 points at 1,979.53.

And on the broader market, the S&P 500 was up 13.65 at 1,163.79.

Advances outnumbered declined by two to one, with 1539 stocks up and only 710 down.

Intel stock was particularly strong, leading up the technology sector, while Johnson & Johnson, a big drug company, led the pharmaceutical sector higher after announcing job cuts last night.