Falling oil, rising home sales spark rally

(Reuters) - The rally took the Dow and S&P 500 to their highest levels since February 27.

The drop in oil, which came as hopes grew for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff between Iran and Britain, helped buoy airlines and consumer-oriented shares such as home improvement chain Home Depot Inc. , which gained 2.3 percent.


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Dow jumps after Fed soothes rate-hike worries

U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday, driving the Dow to a record intraday high after the Federal Reserve held rates steady and flagged no new concerns about inflation, signalling that a rate hike this year was less likely.

Shares of banks and home builders -- companies sensitive to interest-rate increases -- climbed, while U.S. Treasury bond yields fell after the Fed announced its decision to keep the fed funds rate at 5.25 percent, as expected.

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Boeing leads Dow higher, eyes on Fed

U.S. blue-chip stocks rose on Wednesday after Boeing Co. posted a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit and boosted its outlook, but jitters over the Federal Reserve's impending statement on rate policy prevented a broader advance.

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Dow, S&P rise with oil, Motorola; SanDisk sinks

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as a 5.5 percent jump in oil prices to nearly $57 a barrel spurred a rally in the energy sector, while shares of Motorola Inc. gained after investor Carl Icahn said he will seek a seat on the board.

U.S. crude oil futures prices shot up nearly $3 a barrel on colder temperatures and an OPEC supply cut expected to go into effect on Thursday. Exxon Mobil Corp., up 1.6 percent, or $1.19, at $74.39, gave the biggest boost to the S&P 500 and ranked No. 2 among the Dow's advancers.


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