Stocks rise as Wall St. nears 1st back-to-back weekly gain
Stocks are rising at the opening of trading on Wall Street Friday as investors rally around signs that more governments are planning phased re-openings of their economies. News that China’s economy suffered the worst downturn since 1979 last quarter did little to depress traders’ optimism after the White House issued guidelines for a phased reopening of businesses, schools and other institutions. The S&P 500 rose nearly 2% and could close out its first back-to-back weekly gain since the market began to sell off in February on worries about the virus. Asian and European indexes also rose.