NEW YORK: US stocks closed higher on Friday, ending two straight days of losses, after a day of choppy trade marked by mixed economic data.The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 41.63 points (0.39 per cent) to 10,829.68 in closing trade, while the broader SandP 500 index was up 5.04 points (0.44 per cent) to 1,146.24 points.The tech-rich Nasdaq composite index rose 2.13 points (0.09 per cent) to 2,370.75 points even as computer giant Hewlett-Packard saw its shares dip 3.14 per cent after naming Leo Apotheker, a veteran software boss, as its new CEO.Friday's trade also closed the first week of losses after four straight week of gains in the major indexes in the best September since 1939."The momentum of the best September in 71 years carried over to the new month on Wall Street today," said Wells Fargo analyst Scott Marcouiller.Trade fluctuated around the flatline throughout the day after a string of economic data offered an unclear picture on the strength of the world's largest economy.Consumer spending, a key indicator of US economic growth, rose 0.4 per cent from July, the second straight month of increase after stagnating in June, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Commerce Department.The increase was better than the 0.3 per cent rise forecast by analysts.But indicators released shortly after the opening bell showed the September US manufacturing remained sluggish, while construction spending rose, offering a mixed outlook on the economic recovery.Sentiment was earlier buoyed by Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data from China's manufacturing sector that showed a 2.1 percentage-point rise in September from August.Looking at individual stocks, the world's largest airline, United Continental, began trading on Wall Street after Continental Airlines and United announced the close of the massive merger. Its shares were up 1.04 per cent. -- AFP
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