How the Dow Jones industrial average and other major averages did Thursday

U.S. stock indexes closed higher Thursday as big companies turned in encouraging quarterly results. The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 200 points thanks in large part to a big gain in Visa, the Dow's highest-priced stock.

The Dow rose 221.11 points, or 1.3 percent, to 17,195.42.

The S&P 500 rose 12.35 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,994.65

The Nasdaq composite rose 16.91 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,566.14.

For the week:

The Dow is up 390.01 points, or 2.3 percent.

The S&P 500 index is up 30.07 points, or 1.5 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 82.42 points, or 1.8 percent.

For the year:

The Dow is up 618.76 points, or 3.7 percent.

The S&P 500 index is up 146.29 points, or 7.9 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 389.55 points, or 9.3 percent.