Stocks end higher; eyes are on G20

Associated Press

NEW YORK

The Dow Jones industrial average rose for a third-straight week, capping a two-month period in which the index has ended seven out of eight weeks higher than where it started.

Stocks ended on a mixed note Friday at the close of a busy week of earnings news. The Dow finished slightly down, while the broader Standard and Poor’s 500 index and the technology-focused Nasdaq both ended with gains.

The market appeared to be in a holding pattern as investors turned their attention to a meeting of finance ministers and central-bank governors in Korea. The group is meeting as tensions grow over a brewing currency battle that could affect global trade.

There are worries that some countries, such as China, are holding their currencies at artificially low levels. That gives them an advantage in exporting goods as the global economy slowly recovers from a deep recession.