The story

Most Asian and Pacific markets posted modest gains on Friday, following Wall Street's 552-point bounce after a three-day slide.

Japan's Nikkei index closed up 2.7 percent, while Australia's All Ordinaries index gained 1.5 percent. In Seoul, the KOSPI index lost a fraction of a percent. The Shanghai composite index was up 1.8 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up 2.9 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average swung wildly at times on Thursday. It fell to within 81 points of its 5-1/2-year low. Between the low and the close, the Dow's swing was 870 points -- it was 911 points between the day's high and the day's low. Read full article »

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