On Monday, stocks headed south again on banking worries, both home and abroad. The familiar refrain of European debt woes once again is at the root of the uncertainty in the market. The major indexes soared by 3% on Tuesday on news that US housing starts recorded their largest percentage gain in 19 months, further indicating a healing US economy. However, the strong upward surge was accomplished on thin volume. On Wednesday stocks erased an early morning loss to finish near the unchanged mark. Thursday made it three positive days in a row for the Dow, as weekly initial jobless decreased once again. The markets headed into the long holiday weekend with another solid gain on Friday, as stocks hit a 5-month high and the S&P 500 moved into positive territory for the year.

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