Wall St ends higher as Fed comments soothe market

The Dow rose 619.05 points, or 1.56%, to 40,212.71, the S&P 500 gained 95.31 points, or 1.81%, to 5,363.36 and the Nasdaq gained 337.15 points, or 2.06%, to 16,724.46.

NEW YORK: Wall Street posted solid gains on Friday as big banks kicked off first-quarter earnings season and investors closed the book on a turbulent week of wild swings driven by the chaos of US President Donald Trump's multi-front trade war.

All three major US indices ended the session sharply higher after assurances from Boston Federal Reserve President Susan Collins that the Fed is prepared to keep financial markets functioning should the need arise.