U.S. stocks rally after jobs report

U.S. stocks ended slightly higher Monday as investors continued to digest the nonfarm payrolls report for March.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.92 points, or 0.01 percent, to 20,658.02. The S&P 500 added 1.62 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,357.16. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 3.11 points, or 0.05 percent, to 5,880.93.

With no major economic data due Monday, investors were still sifting through the country's mixed jobs data.

U.S. total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 98,000 in March, compared with market estimates of 180,000, while the unemployment rate declined to 4.5 percent, below market expectation of 4.7 percent, said the Labor Department on Friday.

In March, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 5 cents to 26.14 U.S. dollars, following a 7-cent increase in February.

Some analysts said the pullback in hiring could give the U.S. central bank reason to be more cautious on its next rate hike.

Meanwhile, investors kept a close eye on Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, who will deliver a speech at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy shortly after the market's close.

Overseas, European equities decreased broadly Monday amid increased geopolitical worries after the U.S. missile attack in Syria last week. German benchmark DAX index at Frankfurt Stock Exchange fell 0.20 percent, while British benchmark FTSE 100 Index edged down 0.01 percent.

In Asia, Chinese stocks snapped a four-day winning streak to close lower Monday, with growth stocks and recently listed companies suffering the most. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.52 percent to 3269.39 points. Enditem