Major Averages End Choppy Trading Day Nearly Unchanged

(RTTNews) - After seeing considerable volatility early in the session, stocks ended Friday's trading roughly flat as traders digested the Labor Department's closely watched monthly employment report as well as the latest developments regarding the situation in Syria.

Despite the roughly flat close by the broader markets, gold stocks ended the day posting substantial gains. Reflecting the strength in the gold sector, the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index surged up by 1.9 percent.

The strength among gold stocks came amid an increase by the price of the precious metal, with gold for December delivery climbing $13.50 to $1,386.50 an ounce.

Commercial real estate stocks also showed a strong move to the upside on the day, driving the Morgan Stanley REIT Index up by 1.6 percent. FelCor Lodging Trust (FCH) and HCP, Inc. (HCP) turned in two of the sector's best performances.

Significant strength was also visible among housing stocks, as reflected by the 1.5 percent gain posted by the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index.

The major averages ended the day near the unchanged line, turning in a mixed performance. While the Dow edged down 14.98 points or 0.1 percent to 3,660.01, the Nasdaq crept up 1.23 points or less than 0.1 percent to 3,660.01 and the S&P 500 inched up 0.09 points or less than 0.1 percent to 1,655.17.

For the holiday-shortened week, the Dow advanced by 0.8 percent, while the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 surged up by 2 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.