The Los Angeles Business Journal’s index of the 200 largest local public companies closed up for the week ended April 3 despite Friday’s grim U.S. jobs report. Investors also pushed up the Dow Jones industrial average above 8,000 for the first time in nearly two months.

The weighted LABJ index rose 2.6 percent to 88.81 Friday compared to a week ago, with gainers outpacing decliners 125 to 60.

Shopping mall operator Macerich Co. jumped 56 percent to $9.84 after announcing it had been able to refinance a majority of its debt on projects that had been scheduled to mature this year.

Shoemaker Skechers USA Inc. rose 27 percent to $8.25 after announcing a worldwide licensing agreement with Viva International Group to create Skechers-branded sunglasses and prescription eyewear.

Video game publisher THQ Inc. gained 22 percent to $3.83 after saying it had substantially completed its plan to cut fiscal 2010 spending by $220 million in the face of lower consumer spending for its products.

Among the decliners was biotech giant Amgen Inc., which fell 9.5 percent to $46.57 on news that it had lost an appeals court bid to obtain a patent case.

Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. lost 4 percent to $43.98 after announcing it had agreed to pay $325 million to resolve allegations it provided and billed the government for defective military satellite parts.