Visitors pose with the bronze sculpture of a bull near the New York Stock Exchange in New York, the United States, Jan. 2, 2009. U.S. stocks rose sharply in the first session of the new year on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing above 9,000 points for the first time since November. The Dow rose 258.30 points, or 2.94 percent to close at 9034.69.

(Xinhua News Agency January 3, 2009)