U.S. stocks rose on Friday, extending November's rally and giving the three major indexes their fifth straight week of gains, as the start of the holiday shopping period put visions of profits in investors' heads, Reuters reported. Both the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the NASDAQ Composite Index hit fresh 4-1/2-year closing highs, while the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average ended at its highest level since March. Shares of electronics retailers Best Buy Co. Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. gained as shoppers snapped up bargain-priced DVD players, TVs and other consumer electronics items for holiday giving. Best Buy jumped 3.3 percent to $50.63, while Circuit City climbed 2.4 percent to $21.38, both on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock of Pod maker Apple Computer Inc. gained 3.3 percent to $69.34 on NASDAQ. While many on Wall Street were savoring a long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, bargain-crazed shoppers stormed the stores on what has become known as "Black Friday," one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Retailers typically hope that Black Friday sales will be strong enough to ensure they report a quarterly profit, instead of a loss. --More 2317 Local Time 2017 GMT
