Stock markets on Friday continued their unabated upward march, even as new data showed the economy shed jobs in December for the first time since April.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened up 88 points, or 0.3 percent, and the S&P 500 gained 17 points, or 0.5 percent.
Stocks have been undeterred by a series of extraordinary events this week. On Wednesday, Senate Democrats won both runoff elections in Georgia, giving Democrats control of the Senate and a clean sweep in Washington.
Later that day, President Trump incited a mob that breached security and invaded the Capitol building in an attempt to block Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s November win.
Friday morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy had lost 140,000 jobs, a major blow to the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
But stocks remained upbeat, breaking new records amid zero interest rates and hopes that the COVID-19 vaccine would help restore the economy in 2021.