The key U.S. stock index recovered some of the ground lost Thursday when stocks around the world plunged on worries about the European debt crisis, and faltering economic growth in the United States.

In a day of trading that saw wide swings back and forth, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up six-tenths of a percent at the close of trading. The Dow gained 63 points to close at 11,446. The broader S&P 500 index ended the day little changed, finishing at 1,200. The NASDAQ dropped nine-tenths of one percent to hit 2,534.

European stock markets closed sharply lower.

London's Financial Times 100 index dropped 2.7 percent to end at 5,247. The CAC-40 in Paris was off 1.3 percent to close at 3,279, while the DAX in Frankfurt fell 2.8 percent to finish at 6,236.

In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei index dropped 3.7 percent , to close at 9,300. Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged 4.3 percent , to end at 20,946.

Gold prices rose nearly $15 to trade at $1,661.35 an ounce.

The U.S. dollar fell against both the euro and yen.