Dow Continues Run, Jumps 156

Stocks posted their biggest gains in more than a week Tuesday, led by rising energy companies and banks. The market was higher all day, building on a late gain the day before. Energy stocks rose as the price of crude oil jumped 3%, and banks moved higher a day ahead of an expected rate increase by the Federal Reserve. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed for the second day in a row, something that hadn't happened since the beginning of November. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 156.41 points, or 0.9%, to 17,524.91. The S&P 500 index added 21.47 points, or 1.1%, to 2,043.41. The Nasdaq composite index rose 43.13 points, or 0.9%, to 4,995.36. The Dow and S&P are both up 1.5% this week, while the Nasdaq is up 1.3%. (More stocks stories.)