The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
49°F
Current Conditions
Clear sky
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

U.S. stocks soar; Microsoft leads a surge in technology

This 2010 file photo, shows a historic marker on Wall Street in New York. On Friday the Dow Jones industrial average jumped 396 points, or 2.5 percent, to 16,466. (Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)
Marley Jay Associated Press

NEW YORK – Stocks soared on the last trading day of January, led by big gains in technology companies after Microsoft turned in a strong quarter.

Visa and MasterCard also joined the rally in technology Friday, and several other companies also surged on strong earnings. Consol Energy jumped along with the price of natural gas.

The gains, as big as they were, weren’t enough to make up for a dismal start to the year. U.S. indexes are still down sharply for January following the worst beginning to a year on record.

On Friday the Dow Jones industrial average jumped 396 points, or 2.5 percent, to 16,466.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index shot up 46 points, or 2.5 percent, to 1,940. The Nasdaq composite climbed 107 points, or 2.4 percent, to 4,613.