Closing Bell: Southwest Soars on Cheaper Fuel; Stocks Rally

It was an earnings-driven day and markets rallied Thursday on the back of quarterly surprises from McDonald's (MCD) and Texas Instruments (TXN). The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 300 points. Southwest Airlines (LUV) soared after posting record profit in its third quarter. Lower fuel costs largely drove an improved bottom line. Fuel costs fell by $300 million over the quarter. eBay (EBAY) led tech stocks higher after quarterly earnings bested estimates and the auction site's full-year outlook was raised. Better-than-expected results gave hope to wary investors that eBay will be able to grow after the successful spin off of subsidiary PayPal (PYPL).