U. S. Shares close higher, S&P 500 Best since July

U. S. Shares closed higher again on Wall Street Friday, giving the S&P 500 its best week since July. The benchmark index added 0.7% and ended the week up 1.8%.

Encouraging reports on the economy and corporate earnings helped the market keep steady following unstable weeks.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Goldman Sachs, Alcoa and other companies turned in solid earnings reports. Earnings coincided with a report showing Americans spent much more at U.S. retailers last month than Wall Street expected.

Treasury yields also climbed following the encouraging data. Crude oil prices rose, while natural gas fell.

The S&P 500 was 0.8% higher in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Index was up 401 points, or 1.2%, at 35,314, as of 3 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.