Today's Market: Stocks Climb on Word of Tax-Cut Deal

Wall Street never met a tax cut it didn't like, and today was certainly no exception.

After a sleepy morning on Wall Street, investors' eyes popped open this afternoon with the news that House and Senate Republicans had struck a tentative deal for $1.35 trillion in tax cuts over 11 years.

Shortly after 12 p.m. EDT, when the headlines hit the wires, the Nasdaq Composite Index began its ascent. It had been trading in negative territory before that time. The index finished ahead 52 points, or 2.5%, to 2168.20. Meantime, the Dow Jones Industrial Average , which traded above the flatline for the entire session, ended up 163.37 points, or 1.5%, to 10,898.34, its highest level since Feb. 13. ...