Strong earnings results from big U.S. companies offered investors a whiff of hope Friday. Stocks rose after a two-day slump, but remained on track for their worst week this year.
Hewlett-Packard drove the Dow Jones industrial average higher a day posting fiscal first-quarter earnings that beat the forecasts of analysts and the company itself. The results came as relief after months of bad news for the computer maker. Its stock rose $1.36, or 8 percent, to $18.46.
American International Group Inc. helped boost the Standard & Poor's 500 index after saying its fourth-quarter operating results exceeded forecasts. The company's net loss was $4 billion, mainly because of claims related to Superstorm Sandy, in the first full quarter after it finished repaying its $182 billion government bailout. Its stock rose $1.39, or 4 percent, to $38.67.
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