US stocks close quarter with gain
WASHINGTON—US stocks recovered from early weakness to end Friday mostly in the black, though Apple, hit by new reports of labor abuses in its China suppliers, pulled the Nasdaq into a loss in the last half hour.
On the final day of the first quarter the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 66.22 points (0.50 percent) at 13,212.04.
The broad-based S&P 500 added 5.19 (0.37 percent) to 1,408.47, while the tech-centric Nasdaq slipped 3.79 (0.12 percent) to 3,091.57.
The gain followed rises on European markets, which surged after eurozone finance ministers meeting in Copenhagen agreed to boost their firewall against the debt crisis to about 800 billion euros ($1.07 trillion).
Also helping sentiment was fresh data showing that US consumer spending picked up pace in February, surging 0.8 percent over January, more than expected – though part of the reason was higher gasoline prices.
