How the Dow Jones industrial average and other major indexes fared on Thursday

Stocks had their best day in five weeks on Thursday as the dollar fell against the euro. Gains for the U.S. currency are threatening profits of companies that rely heavily on overseas sales. Financial stocks climbed more than the rest of the market after a number of banks announced dividend increases and stock buybacks.

On Thursday:

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 259.83 points, or 1.5 percent, to 17,895.22.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index advanced 25.71 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,065.95.

The Nasdaq composite rose 43.35 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,893.29.

For the week:

The Dow is up 38.44 points, or 0.2 percent.

The Nasdaq is down 34.08 points, or 0.7 percent.

For the year:

The Dow is up 72.15 points, or 0.4 percent.

The S&P 500 index is down 7.05 points, or 0.3 percent.