Wall Street ends a volatile week

NEW YORK - The stock market had another tumultuous ride this week as disarray in Europe heightened fears of a global economic slowdown. Despite a late-day comeback on Friday, major stock indexes are down about 10 percent from the peak they reached in late April.

Stock indexes ended with solid gains Friday after starting the day lower and dipping below 10,000; the Dow closed up 125 points.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 376 points Thursday, its worst one-day drop in more than a year. Stocks are now about where they were in early February and down 2 percent for the year.

The immediate catalyst for this week's sharp declines was deepening confusion over how Europe intends to get control of its public finances, restore order to financial markets and instill confidence in the continent's shared currency, the euro.

U.S. markets opened lower again on Friday, but a rally in financial shares helped stocks move higher. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. were the biggest gainers in the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones industrial average. They and other financial shares rose after the Senate passed long-awaited financial reform legislation, removing a significant overhang for U.S. banks.

In other signs that some investors were regaining an appetite for risk, Treasury prices edged lower after spiking on Thursday, the dollar edged lower, commodity prices stabilized and gold prices fell.

The Dow rose 125.38, or 1.3 percent, to 10,193.39. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 16.10, or 1.5 percent, to 1,087.69. The Nasdaq composite index rose 25.03, or 1.1 percent, to 2,229.04.

The Dow fell below 10,000 during early trading Friday before recovering.

Bond prices were mixed after jumping Thursday as investors dumped anything seen as risky. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.24 percent from 3.22 percent.