Signs of possible recovery push stocks higher

Stocks climbed today as investors cheered falling Treasury bond yields and rising commodity costs signaled higher expectations for economic growth. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 32 points, or 0.37 percent, to close at 8,771 as Bank of America (BAC) surged 8.3 percent, Alcoa (AA) climbed 6.4 percent and Chevron (CVX) gained 2.4 percent.

Despite improving measures of unemployment and retail sales, the DJIA couldn't maintain all of its gains. If it had been able to hold its highest point of the day, at 8,875, it would have easily crossed into positive territory, joining the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, which have been there for some time.

For more on stocks making moves today, be sure to check out BloggingStocks' market wrap-up.