US economy fares better in fourth quarter than expected

Wall Street ended a choppy session higher on Thursday as investors grappled with an onslaught of economic data and a string of mixed corporate earnings, all while looking forward to next week's Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting. The data showed that the U.S. economy fared better in the fourth quarter than analysts expected, and the labor market remained tight, despite some signs of weakening demand. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6 percent, the S&P 500 climbed 1.1...