New York - US stocks finished the year with gains on Wednesday as weekly unemployment figures dropped, but Wall Street still ended the year with its steepest slide since the Great Depression.

Unemployment claims fell by 94,000 this week, the lowest level in two months, Bloomberg financial news reported.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 108 points, or 1.25 per cent, to 8,776.39 on Wednesday, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index jumped 12.61 points, or 1.4 per cent, to 903.25. The technology heavy Nasdaq Composite Index increased 26.33, or 1.7 per cent, to 1,577.03.

The US currency gained against the euro to 71.63 euro cents from 70.89 euro cents on Tuesday. The dollar also increased against the Japanese currency to 90.67 yen from 90.24 yen. (dpa)