Updated from 2:49 p.m. EST
The markets asked Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to be their Valentine Wednesday, and he accepted, though perhaps somewhat unwittingly.
As soon as the headlines on Bernanke's semiannual testimony to Congress hit the tape at 10 a.m. EST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average quickly jumped into record territory. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite also surged, and stayed well in the green throughout Bernanke's question-and-answer session on Capitol Hill.
The rally came despite uninspiring, flat January retail sales and business inventories for January and December, respectively. The DJIA finished up 0.7% to close at a new high of 12,741.86. The S&P climbed 0.8% to close at 1455.29, and the Nasdaq surged 1.2% to 2488.38. ...
Recent Comments
| Dow Jones | S&P 500 | NASDAQ | 10-Year Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,464.40 | 1,110.63 | 2,176.05 | 32.79 |
Oil *
77.05
|
|
UP
30.69
|
UP
4.98
|
UP
6.87
|
DOWN
0.38
|
10 Yr
3.28%
SPDR Gold
116.62
|
|
+0.29%
|
+0.45%
|
+0.32%
|
-1.15%
|
Data delayed 20 minutes |
Connect with TheStreet