NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks finished strong on Friday (March 5) after a rollercoaster session, as healthy February employment data overcame worries of impending inflation, which hit equities earlier in the week.

The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 1.9 per cent at 31,496.30, while the broad-based S&P 500 climbed 2 per cent to finish at 3,841.94.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 1.6 per cent to end at 12,920.15.