US stocks rose on Friday, putting the S&P 500 on pace for its biggest weekly gain in the past five weeks, led by solid earnings from McDonald's, General Electric and Microsoft. General Electric Co's results drove buying in industrial shares, which led the market on Friday. The company expects double-digit earnings for the year, Chief Executive Jeff Immelt said, helping shares rise 1.8 percent.
McDonald's Corp climbed 2.3 percent to $97.47 and was the top boost to the Dow after the world's No 1 fast-food chain reported higher quarterly profit, paced by strong US sales. Microsoft Corp advanced 5.5 percent, its biggest percentage gain in three months, to $32.70 after profit beat Wall Street's expectations late Thursday, with personal computer sales holding up better than expected.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 107.24 points, or 0.83 percent, to 13,071.34. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 9.19 points, or 0.67 percent, to 1,386.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 22.69 points, or 0.75 percent, to 3,030.25. The S&P industrial sector index, up 1.1 percent, was the top performing S&P sector.
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