Wall Street up as tepid job data eases rate hike concerns

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday after data showed job growth slowed in June, indicating that the U.S. Federal Reserve might hold off on raising interest rates in September. If anything, it buys the Fed a little more time before the first rate hike," said Wilmer Stith, a fixed income portfolio manager at Wilmington Trust in Baltimore. The Fed has kept short-term rates near zero since December 2008, resulting in reduced borrowing costs for companies.