12:33 PM EDT, 10/04/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes rose after a blowout jobs report pushed government bond yields sharply higher, helping offset some of the negative impact of the continuing Middle East crisis on risk sentiment.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6% to 18,030.8, with the S&P 500 up 0.3% to 5,718.2 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.2% higher at 42,110.3 after midday Friday. Real estate fell the most while financials led the gainers intraday.

In economic news, nonfarm payrolls climbed by 254,000 in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The consensus was for a 150,000 increase in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Gains for August were revised up by 17,000 and by 55,000 for July.

The unemployment rate declined to 4.1% from August's 4.2%, which was the market view for September. Average hourly earnings grew by 0.4% sequentially, the BLS report showed, ahead of the 0.3% pace modeled by the Street. The annual measure increased by 4%, beating expectations for growth of 3.8%.

US Treasury yields rose intraday, with the 10-year yield up 10.6 basis points to 3.96%, and the two-year rate climbing 17.7 basis points to 3.89%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.1% to $74.48 a barrel.

In company news, Stifel adjusted its price target for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings ( NCLH ) to $29 from $27 while maintaining its buy stock rating. Shares of the cruise liner were up 3.9% intraday, among the top performers on the S&P 500.

Guggenheim lifted Home Depot's ( HD ) price objective to $450 from $390 while keeping its stock rating to buy. Shares of the home improvement retailer were down 1.5% intraday, among the steepest decliners on the Dow.