Financial markets were closed Friday in advance of the Easter weekend, and provided traders and investors with a day off following a volatile week.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed enough Thursday to boost the blue chips by more than 3 percent for the shortened trading week. The Dow on Thursday rose 261.66, or 2.16 percent, to 12,361.32, and gained 3.43 percent for the week.

Broader stock indicators also advanced. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 31.09, or 2.39 percent, to 1,329.51 on Thursday, ending the week up by 3.21 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 48.15, or 2.18 percent, to 2,258.11 on Thursday, enough to finish the week up by 2.06 percent.

Thursday’s gains came a day after a steep drop that eroded most of a 420-point gain in the Dow on Tuesday – the biggest in more than five years – following the Fed’s decision to lower its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage point to 2.25 percent.