Stocks Ended Sharply Higher, Dow Surged over 440 Points

Stocks ended sharply higher on Friday, with the Dow surging over 400 points, as February’s jobs report assuaged fears of inflation and aggressive interest rate hikes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 440.46 points, or 1.77%, to 25,335.67. The S&P 500 gained 47.53 points, or 1.74%, to 2,786.5. The Nasdaq Composite added 132.86 points, or 1.79%, to 7,560.81. For the week, the Dow up by 3.3%, the S&P 500 was up by 3.5% and the Nasdaq up by 4.2%.

Oil prices received a boost on Friday, notching a gain for the week. April West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.92, or 3.2%, to settle at $62.04 a barrel, rising 1.3% for the week. May Brent crude rose $1.88, or 3%, to end at $65.49 a barrel, up 1.7% for the week.