(CNBC) Stocks closed mostly higher on Friday as investors digested a speech from a key Federal Reserve official while parsing through strong bank earnings and U.S. economic data.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 150 points before holding about 60 points higher, with Goldman Sachs contributing the most gains. The S&P 500 rose approximately 0.1 percent, with information technology and financials leading advancers. The Nasdaq composite held just above the flatline, as the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell more than 1.5 percent.
Fed Chair Janet Yellen said the Fed might want to let inflation run hotter for a while.
