Google and Citigroup profits cause U.S. stocks to end sharply higher. 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA (APRIL 18, 2008) NYSE -

 U.S. stocks ended sharply higher on Friday (April 18) as a strong
profit from Google Inc sparked a rally in the technology sector and as
Citigroup Inc gave investors hope the credit crisis was nearing an end.
     The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 228.87 points, or 1.81
percent, to end at 12,849.36, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose
24.77 points, or 1.81 percent, to 1,390.33. The Nasdaq Composite Index soared
61.14 points, or 2.61 percent, to 2,402.97.
    For the week, the Dow and the S&P 500 each ended up 4.3 percent,
while Nasdaq added 4.9 percent.
      In technology, Google shares rose 20 percent to $539.41 on the Nasdaq
after the company posted results that quashed fears of a slowdown in online
advertising as it said it saw no impact from the weakening U.S. economy.
    Citigroup also fueled a rally that pushed the Dow to its best week
since February as investors took comfort that the No. 1 U.S. bank is taking
aggressive steps to resolve credit problems that led to its latest quarterly
loss, fueling hopes that the credit crisis is near an end.