Dow Up for the Year While S&P Finished '11 Flat

By Newsroom America Staff at 31 Dec 2011

(Newsroom America) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished in the black for the year, though it lost ground in the final session of 2011, while earlier gains by Standard & Poor's were erased in the final moments of Friday trading, with the index finishing flat on the year.

Some of the year's biggest performers, analysts said, were utilities and consumer staples, each gaining more than 10 percent. Finances and materials, meanwhile, were the year's big losers, CNBC.com reported.

Analysts said the markets are likely to remain volatile again in 2012.

"The uncertainty is going to stay next year and people are going to remain nervous," Alan Valdes, director of floor operations at DME Securities, told the financial newswire. "You’re going to get some resolution to this uncertainty, but right now, you’re going to see markets go back and forth mainly because of Europe."

On the Web: Dow Logs Gain in Volatile 2011; S&P Ends Flat