Stocks Ended Higher after Upbeat Manufacturing Data

U.S. stocks rose slightly to post a fourth consecutive gain on Friday, buoyed by an upbeat reading on manufacturing activity. The Dow industrial Average advanced 19.38 points, or 0.11% to 17,949.37. The S&P 500 rose 4.09 points, or 0.19% to 2,102.95.  The Nasdaq Composite gained 19.90 points, or 0.41%, to 4,862.57. All three indexes saw weekly gains of more than 3%.

U.S. manufacturers grew in June at the fastest pace in 15 months, signaling a clear if modest uptrend after a bout of extended weakness, a survey of executives found. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index jumped to 53.2% in June from 51.3% in May.

A fatal accident in which the driver of a Tesla Motors Inc Model S car operating in Autopilot mode was killed in a collision with a truck has prompted an investigation by federal highway safety regulators, the U.S. government and Tesla disclosed on Thursday.

Hyperloop One Inc. on Friday announced an executive shake-up, replacing one of the startup’s founders with its vice president of engineering, as it faces a critical juncture in bringing its high-speed shuttle-transport technology to life.