Dow posts biggest weekly rise since June

US stocks rose on Friday and the Dow scored its biggest weekly percentage gain since June, as Goldman Sachs rounded out a week of strong quarterly earnings for the big banks.

Goldman Sachs Group shares jumped 3.8 per cent and gave the Dow its biggest boost, as a record wave of dealmaking activity drove a surge in the bank’s quarterly profit.

Goldman’s report followed strong results from Bank of America and others this week. Banks were among the biggest positives for the S&P 500 on the day, and the index’s bank index climbed 2.1 per cent.

Results from big financial institutions provided a strong start to third-quarter US earnings, though investors will still watch in coming weeks for signs of impacts from supply chain disruptions and higher costs, especially for energy.

Forecasts now call for third-quarter S&P 500 earnings to show a 32 per cent rise from a year ago. The latest forecast, based on results from 41 S&P 500 companies and estimates for the rest, is up from 29.4 per cent at the start of October, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.