NEW YORK—Wall Street closed out a winning April with gains Friday after more companies said their profits at the start of the year weren’t as bad as expected.
The S&P 500 rose 34.13, or 0.8 percent, to 4,169.48. Despite some sharp swings this week, it still clinched a second straight winning month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 272.00, or 0.8 percent, to 34,098.16, and the Nasdaq composite gained 84.35, or 0.7 percent, to 12,226.58.
Exxon Mobil did some of the market’s heavier lifting after it rose 1.3 percent. It reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than forecast.
Intel gained 4 percent after reporting a milder loss than expected and stronger revenue for the latest quarter. Mondelez International, the food giant behind Oreo and Ritz, rose 3.9 percent after topping Wall Street’s estimates. It also raised its forecast for revenue and earnings over the full year….