Stocks clawed their way out of a deep hole, boosted by improved U.S. economic data that appeared to spark some late buying. Associated Press Michael Omara, a trader with Barclays, reacts as he looks at a trading monitor on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday Feb. 5, 2010. Stocks fell modestly Friday following mixed news from the Labor Department's monthly employment report. (AP Photos/Bebeto Matthews) The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off almost 170 points at its afternoon low but recovered to end up 10.05 points, or 0.1%, at 10012.23. The market was beset through most of the session by concerns about the creditworthiness of European governments. But around 3 p.m. Eastern, the market got a lift from a much better-than-expected reading of U.S. consumer credit than expected in December. That came on the heels of data released earlier in the day showing that the U.S. unemployment rate fell below 10%, beating expectations. The moves mirrored recoveries in other markets and came ahead of a weekend meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers in the remote Canadian arctic town of Iqaluit.[Read more...]