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Jordan Waxman, managing director and partner at HighTower, a wealth management firm in New York, said investors who had fled to bonds because they seemed safe weren't exactly soothed by their recent performance. "It's like going to your favorite restaurant month in and month out, and then one day you see a rodent running across the restaurant," Waxman said. "It's going to be a while before you go back." For the past three decades, bond interest rates have tended to move down rather than up, so the recent gains are throwing many investors for a loop, noted Craig Fehr, an investment strategist at Edward Jones in St. Louis. "This is catching a lot of bond investors off guard," said Fehr. He's been telling clients to trim their holdings on long-term bonds. The effects of potentially higher interest rates were evident throughout financial markets Friday. Stocks for small banks rose because investors believe those companies will benefit from being able to charge higher rates when they make loans But homebuilder Lennar was the second-biggest decliner on the S&P 500, falling $1.42, or 4 percent, to $33.93. Investors worried that higher interest rates will make mortgages more expensive and tamp down on demand, although rates will still be low by historical standards. The price of oil rose $1.98, or 2 percent, to $103.22 a barrel in New York. That could signal investors are optimistic about U.S. manufacturing and the broader economy
-- or it could mean they're unnerved by political unrest in Egypt. On Wednesday, the Egyptian military ousted President Mohammed Morsi, and his supporters began a series of protests and attacks Friday. The dollar rose, which likely means that investors were feeling confident about the U.S. economy. As for the U.S. jobs report, investors said it represented an economy on the mend. The 195,000 additional jobs in June handily beat expectations for an increase of 165,000. The government also said that the economy added 70,000 more jobs in April and May combined than previously thought. But there were also reasons for caution. More than half the job additions came from hotels, restaurants, entertainment and retail, which are usually lower paying. Among stocks making big moves: KB Home fell 64 cents, or 3.4 percent, to $18.07. Beazer Homes lost 18 cents, or 1 percent, to $17.22. Lululemon, which makes high-end yoga clothing, fell after the company said its founder and chairman plans to sell a large portion of his stock. The stock lost 95 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $63.55. Newmont Mining was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500, hurt by a dip in gold prices. The stock lost $1.24, or 4.3 percent, to $27.78. Restoration Hardware, which sells high-end home products, fell after disclosing that an unnamed group of stockholders plan to sell some of its shares. The stock lost $1.28, or 1.7 percent, to $74.65.
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