Dow Soars 180 Points on Factory Data; Crimea Vote Barely Figures

Stocks rallied on Monday, with the Dow rising 180 points after a five-day losing streak, as voting in Crimea passed without violence and after economic reports showed U.S. manufacturing output jumping the most in six months in February.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed unofficially 181.55, or 1.13 percent higher at 16,247,22. The S&P 500 rose 17 points to 1,858.83 and the Nasdaq added 34 points, to finish at 4,279.95.

"We've gotten used to markets that are going to price in the worst-case scenario," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities, of the possibility of violence or military conflict during the weekend as voters in Crimea chose overwhelmingly for annexation from Ukraine in favor of Russia.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

As it was, the markets responded to positive news from the Federal Reserve, which reported that U.S. manufacturing output rebounded more than expected in February and recorded its largest increase in six months.

Factory production increased 0.8 percent last month, its largest increase since August, the Fed said. That almost unwound January's 0.9 percent decline, which was the largest drop since May 2009 and was better than the 0.2 percent rise anticipated by economists polled by Reuters.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude-oil futures for April delivery dropped 81 cents to $98.08 a barrel, while gold futures for April delivery declined $6.10, to settle at $1,372.90 an ounce.

The dollar declined against major U.S. trading partners, while the 10-year Treasury yield gained 4 basis points to 2.694 percent.