S&P 500 posts best two-day run in a month

Stocks rallied on Tuesday, capping off the S&P 500's best two-day run in a month, on confidence that a deal would be struck in Washington to avoid painful spending cuts and tax hikes that could hurt the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 115.57 points, or 0.87 percent, to end unofficially at 13,350.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 16.43 points, or 1.15 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,446.79. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 43.93 points, or 1.46 percent, to close unofficially at 3,054.53.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Jan Paschal)