US stocks edged up after a choppy trading session on Friday, buoyed by brokerage upgrades that offset disappointing unemployment rate that rose to its highest in more than 26 years. General Electric Co jumped 7.2 percent to $15.47 after analyst upgrades, helping lead the industrial sector higher. The S&P industrials was up 1.2 percent.
The market fell at the open and briefly turned positive after a closer look at the report showed payroll losses continued to decline and job losses for earlier months were revised lower. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 22.30 points, or 0.22 percent, at 10,028.26. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 2.62 points, or 0.25 percent, to 1,069.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 5.75 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,111.07.