By Raissa Kasolowsky
Relatively low share valuations lured investors back into the U.S. stock market on Thursday after a prolonged losing streak pushed the Nasdaq into an official bear market.
The indicative Dow Jones index
Friday's calendar is light on earnings and data for U.S. investors who are already dealing with another 4 percent drop this week in the Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX> and a 5 percent fall in the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC>.
U.S. stocks have been under pressure since the start of the year as negative economic data and patchy earnings have raised concern about the likelihood of recession and the outlook for corporate profitability.
On Thursday the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 46.90 points, or 0.38 percent, at 12,247.00. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 10.46 points, or 0.79 percent, at 1,336.91. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 14.28 points, or 0.63 percent, at 2,293.03.
The market was also likely to keep an eye on Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart and Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Sandra Pianalto who are speaking at 1730 GMT and 1755 GMT respectively. Pianalto is scheduled to talk about the national mortgage markets.
