Wall Street’s rally could persist next week as investors’ conviction grows that the U.S. economy is on track for a recovery. But retailers’ results, CPI and other consumer data could cast a pall if shoppers fail to show signs of life.

AIG, the giant insurer bailed out by the U.S. government, posted its first profit in seven quarters on Friday, helped by large investment gains as financial markets improved, sending its shares up 20 percent.

It’s the clearest sign yet the recession is finally ending: Employers laid off far fewer workers in July, the jobless rate dipped for the first time in 15 months and workers’ hours and pay edged upward.

Stocks rallied on Friday, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 to a 10-month high as the July jobs report was less bleak than feared and underpinned hopes the economy was on track for recovery.

The economy’s most vexing problem, unemployment, is showing the first signs of easing. And Wall Street is celebrating. Major stock indexes barreled higher by more than 1 percent Friday after the government said the U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly fell in July for the first time in 15 months and that employers cut fewer jobs.

The following stocks were among those that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:

SUNDAY, Aug. 9 President Barack Obama attends the Americas Leaders’ summit in Mexico. Through Monday. BOSTON — Sen. Thomas Daschle scheduled to deliver keynote remarks at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ 52nd annual Pharmacy & Technology Conference at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

VeriSign Inc. shares tumbled Friday after the company narrowly missed forecasts for its second-quarter profit. The stock dropped $1.84, or 9 percent, to $18.72 in late afternoon trading.

Shares of Luminex Corp., which makes testing systems for biotechnology companies, fell Friday, after the company reported lower-than-expected second-quarter profit and reduced its revenue outlook for the year.

Airline stocks flew higher Friday amid a broader market upswing, as investors cheered a government report that said unemployment eased last month.