Stocks rally as dollar gains strength

? Stocks rallied Friday, but posted mixed weekly performance, as fears over inflation were somewhat abated by a rising dollar, a drop in crude-oil prices, and a report showing May consumer prices were in line, excluding food and energy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 165 points, or 1.4 percent, to 12,307, with 28 of its 30 components rising. For the week, the Dow rose 102 points, or 0.8 percent.

“The market breathed a sigh of relief, with the core number coming in line,” said Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak. “(And) the dollar continues to get better after a lot of bearishness. It’s having its day right now.”

Strength in the greenback tends to weigh on dollar-denominated commodities, such as crude oil and gold.

Crude oil for July delivery fell $1.88 to end at $134.86 a barrel, helping to soothe concerns that surging energy prices are dampening U.S. consumption.

Besides oil, gold prices also slumped as the dollar rallied.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 20 points, or 1.5 percent, to end at 1,360, unchanged from last Friday.

The Nasdaq Composite advanced 50 points, or 2 percent, to finish at 2,454. But for the week, the tech-heavy index fell 20 points, or 0.8 percent.