Stocks finish wild week on an up note
Stocks rose on Friday, with the Dow gaining 125 points, the S&P 500 gaining 6 points, and the Nasdaq gaining 15. Two stocks rose for everyone that fell.
Specialist Frank Masiello, left, works with traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday, Aug. 12, 2011. Stocks closed higher after a week of extreme highs and lows.
Richard Drew / AP
The wildest week in Wall Street's history is ending on an up note.
A rebound in retail sales in July helped the stock market push higher Friday. The week has been marked by seesaw trading. The Dow Jones industrial average rose or fell by more than 400 points each of the first four days of the week as investors reacted to concerns about the global economy and Europe's debt problems.
The Dow is finishing with a gain of 125 points, or 1.1 percent, to 11,269. The S&P 500 is up 6, or 0.5 percent, to 1,279. The Nasdaq is up 15, or 0.6 percent, to 2,508.
Two shares rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was an above average 4.9 billion shares.