Daily Times

U.S. stocks managed to end higher on Monday as the latest data and Fed official comments support investors’ optimism. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 100.71 points, or 0.30 percent, to 33,987.18. The S&P 500 added 13.68 points, or 0.33 percent, to 4,151.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 34.26 points, or 0.28 percent, to 12,157.72. Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green with real estate and financials sectors leading the gainers rising 2.23 percent and 1.13 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the energy and communication services sectors led the laggards both down 1.27 percent. The manufacturing index in New York State was 10.8 in April, much better than the market forecast consensus of -18.3 and -24.6 in the previous month, according to data issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday morning.