US stocks extend gains
US stocks tonight closed sharply higher after investors got a shot of confidence from the start of the second-quarter earnings season.
Investors were enthusiastic about better-than-expected profits from aluminum maker Alcoa and railroad operator CSX.
The companies also issued upbeat forecasts for the rest of the year.
There have been concerns the recovery was stalling or that the US economy might even fall back into recession.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 146, or 1.4%, at 10,363. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was up 16, or 1.5%, at 1,095.
The Nasdaq composite index closed up 43, or almost 2%, at 2,242.
Volume totalled 1.13 billion shares.
