US stocks end higher

US stocks closed higher on Friday in a modest but broad-based advance as Donald Trump was sworn in as US President.

In his speech, Trump said US policy will be to buy American and hire American, reiterating what he had said many times during this campaign for the White House.

Some investors said the comments reinforced concerns about potential protectionist trade policies. Indexes pared gains during his speech and ended off the highest levels of the day.

However, the rally in stocks since the Nov. 8 election had stalled in recent weeks as investors awaited clarity on his plans to boost the economy.

All three major indexes ended with losses for the week.

The S&P 500`s 6.2-per cent gain since the election is one of the best performances for the American stock market for any presidential transition period of the modern era.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average snapped a five-session losing streak, closing up 94.85 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 19,827.25. The S&P 500 gained 7.62 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 2,271.31.

The Nasdaq Composite added 15.25 points, or 0.28 per cent, to 5,555.33.

About 6.6 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, higher than the 6.1 billion daily average for the past 20 trading days.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.76-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.58-to-1 ratio favoured advancers.

The S&P 500 posted 19 new 52-week highs and seven new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 85 new highs and 33 new lows, according to Reuters.