After a Wretched Start, '09 Ends Sublime for Stocks

What a short, strange, stock market trip it's been. Who would have thought back in the dark days of the March lows that 2009 would end up being an outstanding year for equities? It may not feel like it, but the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) just enjoyed its best annual gain since 2003, when it rose 25%.