US stocks seen rallying higher on trade hopes, strong jobs data

THE momentum is now officially with the bulls. US stocks rose last week as two of the biggest diplomatic messes in recent history moved closer to détente and US jobs data was neither too hot nor too cold.

The rally is likely to continue this week if talks on trade, Brexit negotiations and earnings reports stay on track.

Last Friday's US jobs report might have been designed by stock-market bulls. Employers added almost 200,000 workers , far more than economists had predicted, while the unemployment rate held near a 50-year low.