U.S. stocks closed sharply higher Thursday, snapping a two-day losing streak and delivering the biggest gain for the market in more than two weeks. Encouraging earnings from McDonald's, eBay and other companies put investors in a buying mood. There was also encouraging news from Europe as the head of the European Central Bank said a stimulus program there could be expanded in December.
For the day:
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 320.55 points, or 1.9 per cent, to close at 17,489.16.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 33.57 points, or 1.7 per cent, to 2,052.51.
The Nasdaq composite rose 79.93 points, or 1.7 per cent, to 4,920.05.
For the week:
The Dow is up 273.19 points, or 1.6 per cent.
The S&P 500 index is up 19.40 points, or 1.0 per cent.
The Nasdaq is up 33.36 points, or 0.7 per cent.
For the year:
The Dow is down 333.91 points, or 1.9 per cent.
The S&P 500 index is down 6.39 points, or 0.3 per cent.
The Nasdaq is up 183.99 points, or 3.9 per cent.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.