Stock indexes closed with broad gains Wednesday as international leaders scramble to save a week-old plan to prevent a financial crisis in Europe. Strong corporate earnings and a bump up in hiring by private companies also helped send markets higher after a steep two-day drop.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 178.08 points, or 1.5 percent, to close at 11,836.04.
The S&P 500 rose 19.62, or 1.6 percent, to 1,237.90.
The Nasdaq composite rose 33.02, or 1.3 percent, to 2,639.98.
For the week to date:
The Dow is down 395.07, or 3.2 percent.
The S&P 500 is down 47.19, or 3.7 percent.
The Nasdaq is down 97.17, or 3.6 percent.
For the year to date:
The Dow is up 258.53, or 2.2 percent.
The S&P 500 is down 19.74, or 1.6 percent.
The Nasdaq is down 12.89, or 0.5 percent.
