Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq rally as investors focus on January payroll data, 4.3% unemployment — Details here

US stock market today: US benchmark stock market indices, the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite, rallied after the opening bell on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, as investors focused on the more-than-expected January payroll data release and drop in unemployment numbers, according to the data collected from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At 9:30 a.m. (IST) opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index rose 0.11% to 50,243.15 points, while the S&P 500 index rose 0.50% to 6,976.48 points. The Nasdaq Composite opened 0.76% higher at 23,278.29 points on Wednesday.

What does January payroll data show?

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on 11 February 2026 showed that the nonfarm payroll data increased by 130,000 in the month of January 2026, compared to a Reuters poll of economists' estimate of 70,000 jobs.

The data also showed that the unemployment rate in the US economy also dropped to 4.3%, compared to the industry expectations of 4.4% for the period ended January.

“Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 130,000 in January, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.3%, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today,” according to the latest release.

Dow Jones today

After the initial rally on Wednesday, the Dow Jones was trading 0.31% lower at 50,033.55 points as of 10:30 a.m. (EDT), compared to 50,188.14 points at the previous US market close, according to MarketWatch data.

Verizon Communications Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Coca-Cola Co., Chevron Corp., Apple Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., Walmart Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., Johnson & Johnson, Amgen Inc., Nvidia Corp., Visa Inc., and UnitedHealth Group Inc. were among the top gainers on the index on Wednesday's market.

While others were Travelers Cos. Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Amazon.com Inc., McDonald's Corp., Home Depot Inc., Walt Disney Co., American Express Co., Honeywell International, Nike Inc., Boeing Co., Microsoft Corp., and International Business Machines Corp., were among the laggards.

S&P 500 today

The S&P 500 index was trading 0.19% lower at 6,928.49 points as of 10:36 a.m. (EDT), compared to 6,941.81 points at the previous market session, MarketWatch data shows.

Generac Holdings Inc., Smurfit Westrock Plc, Sandisk Corp., American International Group Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc., Micron Technology Inc., ON Semiconductor Corp., Eaton Corp. Plc, Clorox Co., and Comfort Systems USA were among the top gainers.

While others like Robinhood Markets Inc., Moderna Inc., Charles River Laboratories International, Coinbase Global Inc., Assurant Inc., AppLovin Corp., ServiceNow Inc., CoStar Group Inc., Leidos Holdings Inc. and Builders FirstSource Inc. were among the laggards.

Nasdaq today

After the rally, the Nasdaq Composite was trading 0.34% lower at 23,025.11 points as of 10:45 p.m. (EDT), compared to 23,102.47 points at the previous market close, according to MarketWatch data.

RenX Enterprises Corp., Neo-Concept International Group Holdings Ltd., Homes ToLife Ltd., Quince Therapeutics Inc., Classover Holdings Inc., SUNation Energy Inc., Aehr Test Systems, Diodes Inc., Neuronetics Inc., and Envoy Medical Inc. were the early gainers on Wednesday.

American Rebel Holdings, Upstream Bio Inc., Digital Brands Group Inc., Liminatus Pharma Inc., Republic Power Group Ltd, VenHub Global Inc., Rapid7 Inc., Insight Molecular Diagnostics Inc., BioRestorative Therapies Inc., and Mattel Inc. were among the laggards.

Read all US stock market news here

Read all stories by Anubhav Mukherjee

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. We advise investors to consult with certified experts before making any investment decisions, as market conditions can change rapidly and circumstances may vary.