YAHOO [BRIEFING.COM]: The S&P 500 scored a solid gain as stocks staged a late bounce in the face of a stronger dollar. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 were left mired near the neutral line, though.

The major indices were stuck in choppy trade for virtually the entire session. Any attempts to advance were restricted by a stronger dollar, which managed to gain 0.9%.

The dollar had shown early strength as it began to rebound from three straight slides, but extended the move following news that nonfarm payrolls for October climbed by 151,000 and that private payrolls increased by 159,000 -- each had been expected to show increases of 60,000. The increases were the biggest in several months, but the headline unemployment rate remained at 9.6%, as had been widely expected.

The greenback's gain tempered support for stocks, even as financials attempted to provide leadership. Financials outperformed for the entire session. They booked a 2.1% gain with help from bank stocks, which continued to climb amid speculation that better capitalized banks may soon receive a blessing from regulators to raise dividends and re-institute share purchases. The KBW Bank Index booked a 2.2% gain and set a three-month high, but finished just below its 50-day moving average.

Though the other sectors failed to follow financials, the sector's size and strength helped give the S&P 500 a modest lead over its counterparts.

AIG (AIG 45.61, +0.87) was able to share in the financial sector's strength as trade progressed. The stock was down close to 4% in the wake of a disappointing earnings report, but the stock rallied to finish with a gain of almost 2%.

Dow component Kraft (KFT 31.08, -0.71) was dogged all session as a disappointing revenue figure cast a pall over its upside earnings surprise.

Better-than-expected earnings from Starbucks (SBUX 30.87, +1.12), CBS (CBS 17.01, -0.65), Blue Nile (NILE 48.30, +2.80), and Crocs (CROX 14.46, -0.34) received less attention from the financial media as their announcements had little influence over broader market trade.

The tone of trade was also uninfluenced by news that pending home sales for September fell 1.8% month-over-month when they had been expected to make a monthly increase of 2.5%.

Precious metals put on another impressive performance. Gold in the continuous contract hit a new record of $1398.70 per ounce before they settled with a 1.1% gain at $1397.70 per ounce. Silver prices set a new 30-year record of $26.92 per ounce in the continuous contract. It settled with a 2.6% gain at $26.71 per ounce. For the week silver advanced 8.8% and gold gained 3.0%.

Consumer credit, which increased $2.1 billion in September, also did nothing to inspire participants. The consensus among economists polled by Briefing.com called for a $3.3 billion drop. Credit for the prior month was revised lower to reflect a $4.9 billion decline.

Precious metals put in another strong session that was highlighted by their push to new highs. Gold in the continuous contract hit a new record of $1398.70 per ounce before the yellow metal settled near that mark with a 1.1% gain at $1397.70 per ounce. Gold prices gained 3.0% this week. Silver prices set a new 30-year record of $26.92 per ounce in the continuous contract. It settled with a 2.6% gain at $26.71 per ounce. Silver advanced 8.8% for the week.

Oil prices extended their string of gains with a 0.4% to settle the week at $86.86 per barrel. Oil prices ascended 6.7% this week.

Natural gas prices put in a strong session after they had lagged yesterday. The energy component climbed 2.0% to settle at $3.93 per MMBtu. Natural gas prices actually fell 2.4% this week.

Advancing Sectors: Financials (+2.1%), Energy (+0.5%), Consumer Discretionary (+0.5%), Industrials (+0.5%), Materials (+0.3%)
Declining Sectors: Telecom (-0.6%), Health Care (-0.5%), Consumer Staples (-0.4%)
Unchanged: Utilities; TechDJ30 +9.24 NASDAQ +1.64 NQ100 -0.1% R2K +0.4% SP400 +0.6% SP500 +4.79 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1456/2.10 bln/1168 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1740/1.24 bln/1241