S&P closes in on record, boosted by banks and jobs data

Wall Street extended gains on Friday, with the S&P 500 coming within a hair's breadth of its record high, following robust nonfarm payrolls data and as banks gained on expectations of simpler regulations. The U.S. Labor Department said 227,000 jobs were created in the public and private sectors in January, far higher than the 175,000 economists had expected, as construction firms and retailers ramped up hiring. "Continued strong job creation is tempered by the renewed sluggishness in wage gr