Stocks Opened Higher on Strong Jobs Data

U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday, led by gains in Microsoft and Apple, as Friday’s robust jobs data continued to boost investor optimism on strength in the U.S. economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately rose 202.05 points, or 0.82%, to 24,837.26. The S&P 500 added 13.93 points, or 0.51%, to 2,748.55. The Nasdaq Composite gained 31.21 points, or 0.41%, to 7,585.54.

Oil prices started the week lower on Monday, amid continued uncertainty over when OPEC and its allies will begin to ramp up output, alongside fresh signs of burgeoning U.S. production. Brent crude was down $1.13, or 1.4%, to $75.65 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures were trading down 47 cents, or 0.7%, at $65.37 a barrel.

Microsoft today confirmed that it has acquired GitHub, the popular Git-based code sharing and collaboration service. The price of the acquisition was $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock.

Facebook Inc. (FB) made agreements with at least 60 makers of phones and other devices that gave them access to the personal information of users’ friends without their consent, The New York Times reported Monday.