Dow Ends Day Up 107

US stocks closed higher as traders got some encouragement from a solid report on the job market, the AP reports. Consumer companies gained Friday after the government said job growth continued at a strong clip in March. Energy and mining companies struggled as the prices of oil and precious metals fell. The price of US benchmark crude slumped 4% to just under $37 a barrel in New York. The Dow Jones industrial average shook off an early loss closed up 107 points, or 0.6%, to 17,792. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 13 points, or 0.6%, to 2,072. The Nasdaq composite gained 44 points, or 0.9%, to 4,914. (More stock market stories.)