U.S. stocks close first half of 2012 up 5%

<!--TITOL:

U.S. stocks close first half of 2012 up 5%

FITITOL--> FXstreet.com (San Francisco) - Stocks on Wall Street exploded higher Friday on the back of positive developments out of the EU leaders' summit in Brussels, where officials announced a new bank recapitalization plan that ignited the global markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 278 points, or 2.2%, to 12,880, having gained 3.9% in June, but still records a 2.5% loss this quarter. The SP 500 Index gained 33 points, or 2.5%, to 1,362, up 4% this month, but still recording a 3.3% loss for the quarter. The Nasdaq added 86 points, or 3% to 2,935, managing to record its best day of the year. All three indexes closed out the first half of 2012 up more than 5%.