Dow Ends Day Up 69

Banks led US stock indexes modestly higher on Wall Street, the AP reports. Bank of America jumped 2.2%. Banks were rising along with bond yields, which can result in higher interest rates on loans and bigger profits for banks from lending money. Energy companies also gained along with the price of crude oil. Exxon Mobil rose 2%. The Nasdaq composite closed at another all-time high. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 6 points, or 0.3%, to 2,368. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 69 points, or 0.3%, to 20,728. The Nasdaq composite gained 16 points, or 0.3%, to 5,914. Small-company stocks rose far more than the rest of the market. (More Dow Jones stories.)