Wall Street ends higher after a torrid Thursday

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones was 1.9% up, while the S&P 500 rose 1.3% and the Nasdaq gained 1%, buoyed by a positive US consumer confidence survey.But, after big falls on Thursday, the three indexes still saw their biggest weekly percentage fall since mid March, BBC reported.

In Europe on Friday, London’s FTSE 100 rose 1.74%, while France’s Cac 40 was up almost 2% and Germany’s Dax 1.25%.

Thursday’s torrid trading left the Dow down 7% and Europe 5% lower, BBC reported.

Thursday’s sell-off was prompted by a bleak view of the US economy from its central bank, the Federal Reserve, and reports of rising coronavirus cases from some US states.

On Friday, data from the University of Michigan showed a surprisingly big jump in confidence among consumers.

Markets remain volatile as investors struggle to assess the economic damage of coronavirus.