US stocks climb amid merger activity
31/01/2005 - 22:06:03Successful elections in Iraq and a bevy of merger and acquisition deals pushed US stocks higher today in moderately heavy trading, with beaten-down tech stocks enjoying the largest gains.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 62.74, or 0.6%, to 10,489.94.
Broader stock indicators rose substantially. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was up 9.90, or 0.8%, at 1,181.26, and the Nasdaq composite index gained 26.58, or 1.3%, to 2,062.41.
The success of the Iraqi elections despite attacks on 38 of the nation’s polling centres, along with OPEC’s decision to maintain current oil production levels, removed a pair of obstacles that had prevented many investors from getting into the market.
The news out of the Middle East failed to halt rising oil prices, however, with a barrel of light crude settling at $48.20, up $1.02, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was up 11.02, or 1.8%, at 624.02.
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