Stocks were little changed Friday, but 2010 was a year in which all three major indexes gained more than 10 percent. The Dow industrials rose 11 percent from the close of 2009, the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 13 percent, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq advanced 17 percent. Stocks began the year strongly, but worries about Europe's sovereign debt crisis limited gains. A slow U.S. economic recovery-particularly in the labor and housing markets-also pressured stocks. But in late August, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) said it would do whatever was necessary to keep the economy from falling back into recession, and the central bank later decided to inject $600 billion into the economy, restoring some confidence, which led to stock gains in the second half of the year that accelerated in December. While investors believe more volatility could be coming in 2011, they also are optimistic the new year will bring economic improvement, leading stocks on a continued upward path. On Friday, the U.S. dollar fell versus the euro and the yen. Light sweet crude oil for February delivery reversed morning losses, gaining $1.54 to $91.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures rose $15.50 to $1,421.40 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 7.80, or 0.1 percent, to 11,577.51. The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged, falling 0.24 to 1,257.64. The Nasdaq composite index fell 10.11, or 0.4 percent, to 2,652.87.
