U.S. stocks closed higher for the first day in four Friday after Congressional leaders reported progress in talks with President Barack Obama about cutting the government's budget deficit.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 45.93 points, or 0.4 percent, to 12,588.31.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 6.55 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,359.88

The Nasdaq composite index gained 16.19 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,853.13.

For the week:

The Dow is down 227.08 points, or 1.8 percent.

The S&P 500 index is down 19.97 points, or 1.5 percent.

The Nasdaq is down 51.74 points, or 1.8 percent.

For the year:

The Dow is up 370.75 points, or 3 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 102.28 points, or 8.1 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 247.98 points, or 9.5 percent.