Stocks in United States halted a three-day losing streak yesterday as an anxiously awaited report showed that inflationary pressures persisted in the labour market, but contained no major surprises.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished 78.47 points higher at 9,055.15 after pulling back from a gain of nearly 120.

The barometer of 30 major companies had lost about 215 points in the past three days after closing at a record 9,192.66 on Monday.

Broader stock indexes also began shrugging off the renewed concerns about interest rates and the continuing economic instability in Asia.