Signs of an economic slowdown in China and Europe put a damper on the 2012 rally on Monday, with the three major indexes all finishing down varying degrees. On Tuesday the downturn accelerated, with the Dow losing 200 points on Greek debt concerns. Stocks gained back some of Tuesday’s losses on Wednesday on improving news of Greece’s debt swap and hints from the Fed that they are considering a bond-buying stimulus program. On Thursday, a larger than expected rise in new weekly initial jobless claims failed to hold stocks down, as they registered another solid gain. The market closed the week on Friday with a three day win streak, as the US unemployment rate stayed steady at 8.3%.

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