DOW - Dow Logs 4-Day Rally, Stocks Post Weekly Gain

12,720.48 96.50(0.76%)

By: JeeYeon Park


CNBC.com Writer

Stocks ended mixed in a quiet session Friday as investors were reluctant to jump in ahead of a weekend and after a handful of weak earnings reports weighed on sentiment.

Despite the lackluster session, stocks still capped a strong finish for the shortened trading week, with all three major averages adding almost two percent, despite ongoing woes over the euro zone debt crisis and some disappointing corporate earnings results.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 96.50 points, or 0.76 percent, to finish at 12,720.48, posting a four-day rally, led by IBM [IBM 188.52 8.00 (+4.43%) ] and Microsoft [MSFT 29.71 1.59 (+5.65%) ].


The S&P 500 eked out a gain of 0.88 points, or 0.07 percent, to end at 1,315.38. The Nasdaq slipped 1.63 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at 2,786.70.

The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, tumbled near 18.

For the week, the Dow soared 2.40 percent, the S&P advanced 2.04 percent and the Nasdaq soared 2.80 percent. All Dow components logged a gain for the week