Blue Chips Climb 3.1% in Week --- Dow's Gain is Biggest Since July; Light Volume Raises Concern of Rally's Strength
Stocks rose in the lowest-volume trading all year, boosted by corporate earnings and data showing a pickup in U.S. economic growth at the end of 2010.</br></br>The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its sixth gain in seven sessions as it finished up 50.03 points, or 0.4%, at 12220.59. The index advanced 3.1% on the week, its biggest weekly percentage gain since July.</br></br>Leading the measure were International Business Machines, which rose $2.14, or 1.3%, to $162.18, and Chevron, adding 1.40, or 1.3%, to 106.78.</br></br>The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index closed 4.14 points higher, or 0.3%, at 1313.80, with energy stocks in the lead. The Nasdaq Composite added 6.64 points, or 0.2%, to 2743.06.</br></br>At week's end, all three measures' gains outpaced the losses they posted the previous week amid Japan's nuclear crisis. In addition, all three measures snapped two-week losing streaks.