Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 14,000 for first time since financial crisis

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 14,000 on Friday for the first time since the global financial crisis, Reuters reported. 

The blue-chip benchmark index finshed at 14,009.79, up 1.08 percent on the day, and the first time since October 2007 that the Dow has finished above the 14,000-level. 

The Dow’s reaching 14,000 is “another positive sign after finishing one of the strongest months on record,” Darrell Cronk, regional chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank, told MarketWatch.

Earlier in the session, the index broke through 14,000 after the release of positive jobs and manufacturing data, CNBC reported.

The latest US jobs report showed the world's largest economy added 157,000 positions last month while data for November and December was revised upwards, the Financial Times reported.

Other figures showed US manufacturing growth gathered pace in January, Reuters reported.

The blue-chip benchmark has had a remarkable start to the year, logging its best January performance in nearly two decades.

The Dow ended the month up 5.8 percent, its strongest January since 1994.

More from GlobalPost: Euro hits 14-month high against the US dollar