US stocks ended higher on Friday, extending their biggest weekly percentage gains of the year as worries of an economic downturn eased and investors focused on the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium next week.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched their seventh straight session of gains as stocks recouped losses from a tailspin two weeks ago. The sell-off, sparked by weak economic data and heightened recession fears, confirmed the Nasdaq had entered correction territory.

All three indexes recorded their biggest weekly percentage gains since late October, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq posting their first weekly gains in five.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 96 points, the S&P 500 gained 0.20 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite added 37 points.