Stocks Jump as Oil Prices Pull Back

Stocks jumped today on an unusual pullback of crude prices, overcoming weak quarterly reports from bond insurer MBIA and other financials. The price drop cheered investors worried about oil's effect on consumer spending, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow ended up 130.43 to 12,876.31, the Nasdaq up 42.97 to 2,488.49, and the S&P up 15.30 to 1,403.58.

Demand for oil fell somewhat after China's deadly earthquake. "I always think the fundamentals are in control of this market," one analyst tells the Journal, disputing theories that speculation has been fueling oil's rally. "The specs are using oil as a place to park their money, but they couldn't keep prices high if the fundamentals weren't generally favorable," he adds. (More stock market stories.)