(CNBC) Stocks closed higher on Friday, boosted by bank shares, as investors looked ahead to a key meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Wall Street also wrapped up its best first half to a year in two decades.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 73.38 points to 26,599.96 as J.P. Morgan Chase shares outperformed. The 30-stock index rallied more than 7% this month, notching its biggest June gain since 1938.

The S&P 500 advanced 0.6% to 2,941.74, led by the financials sector. For the month, the S&P 500 jumped 6.9%, its best June performance since 1955. The broad index is also up more than 17% this year, marking its biggest first-half gain since 1997.

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