Stocks Make Halting Advance

After a monthlong market correction, Tuesday's gains were most welcomed by traders. But any optimism was dampened by the market's shrinkage in the final hour of trading.

After trading as high as 10,509.83, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped from its session highs in the final hour of trade, closing up 92.95 points, or 0.9%, to 10,462. Despite losing some altitude, the Dow posted its best gain since Dec. 21. Following similar patterns, the S&P 500 closed up 4.66, or 0.4%, to 1168.41, vs. its intraday high of 1174.30, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 11.25, or 0.6%, to 2019.95 after trading as high as 2037.18.

Newswires provided plenty of positive talking points to set the groundwork for a day that seemed to bode well for a much-desired rebound for stocks. ...