US stock indexes end the week slightly higher, shaking off an early stumble; Expedia jumps

2/7/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market is ending the week with a modest gain after investors found bright spots in the government’s monthly employment survey.

Higher earnings from several U.S. companies including Expedia also brought buyers to the market.

The back-to-back increases Thursday and today were enough to erase a steep loss from Monday.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 165 points, or 1.1 percent, to 15,794.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 23 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,797. Health care and industrial stocks rose the most.

The Nasdaq composite increased 68 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,125.

Expedia led the gains in the S&P 500 index. Expedia surged 14 percent after reporting that its profit and revenue jumped as hotel bookings increased.