U.S. stocks closed higher Friday while investors parsed through key employment data. In U.S. news, the economy added 156,000 jobs in December, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had expected an increase of 178,000. The unemployment rate came in at 4.7 percent, in line with expectations. Meanwhile, November factory orders fell 2.4 percent, which was more than expected. The dollar rose 0.7 percent against a basket of currencies. Light sweet crude oil for February delivery was unchanged at $53.76 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures lost $8.80 to $1,172.50 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 67.11, or 0.34 percent, to 19,966.40. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 8.08, or 0.36 percent, to 2,277.04. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 33.12, or 0.60 percent, to 5,521.06.