Stocks advanced for the second straight session Wednesday while oil prices eased and several upbeat profit reports on Wall Street.
Investors voted that a sustained drop in oil prices would give a crucial boost to the economy.
A barrel of light, sweet crude tumbled $3.98 to settle at $124.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The Dow rose 29.88 to 11,632.38 after rising nearly 100 points early in the session.
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Stocks Gained Again, Oil Prices Lost
Stocks advanced for the second straight session Wednesday with another decline in oil prices