U.S. Stocks Rally Into Close As Oil Surges

After spending much of the trading session dipping in and out of negative territory, U.S. stocks rallied into the close to end Monday with solid gains. Investors looked past a batch of government reports that suggested that the economy may be losing steam and focused instead on rising oil prices and quarterly earnings. The benchmark S&P 500 tracked crude oil prices closely and a big jump in WTI futures sent energy companies sharply higher. The S&P 500 rose 25.86 points, or 1.3%, to 2,020.86. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 196.09 points, or 1.1%, to 17,361.04. The Nasdaq Composite ended the day up 41.45 points, or 0.9%, at 4,676.69.