The Dow and S&P 500 receded half a percent on Monday on a surprising drop in a Institute of Supply Management manufacturing report. On Tuesday, the major indexes were stagnant on no major economic news. Rising optimism over a deal being reached to avoid a fiscal cliff propelled stocks upward on Wednesday. On Thursday stocks tacked on further gains as weekly jobless claims fell more than expected. The week concluded on Friday with another win for the Dow and S&P 500 as the US unemployment rate dipped to 7.7% from 7.9%.
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