http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/16/mark...ion=2009031610
Dow stretches rally to day 5
Financial shares lead the latest advance, but tech weakness limits the Nasdaq's gains.
By Alexandra Twin, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: March 16, 2009: 2:13 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Dow surged Monday afternoon, stretching its recent run to a fifth straight session thanks to a rally in bank shares and some upbeat comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added 130 points, or 1.8%, with under 2 hours left in the session. The S&P 500 (SPX) index added 13 points, or 1.8%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) was little changed, with weakness in technology shares keeping it from gaining with the broader market.
Stocks rallied last week, bouncing back after the Dow and S&P 500 hit 12-year lows. The week was Wall Street's best since last November, with the Dow gaining 9%, the S&P 500 gaining 10.7% and the Nasdaq adding 10.6%.
Bernanke's comments and news from the bank sector helped Monday, but stocks were also just continuing to rebound off the lows, said John Forelli, portfolio manager at Independence Investments.
"Sentiment was really negative a week ago, and so each day the market goes up, the sentiment improves," he said.
Forelli said the advance could continue in the short run if investors are able to gain confidence that the economy is in the healing process. Yet, the run is bound to hit some speed bumps when quarterly results start pouring in next month.
"If you thought the fourth-quarter earnings were bad, get ready for the first quarter," he said.