S&P's 7.4% gain for week highest since March, '09

12/3/2011

NEW YORK -- An early rally fizzled on the stock market Friday but still left the Standard & Poor's 500 index up 7.4 percent for the week, its biggest gain since March, 2009.

A surprise drop in the U.S. unemployment rate sent stocks higher in early trading, but the gains faded before close.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.61 to close at 12,019.42.

The Dow ended the week up 7 percent, the largest weekly gain since July, 2009. The Nasdaq composite index inched up 0.73 to 2,626.93. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.31 to 1,244.28.