The closing bell is ringing and major indices are higher on the day

Gains across the board

The closing bell is ringing and stocks are ending higher. The final numbers show:

• The S&P up 17.96 points or 0.71% at 2549.90. The high reached 2566. The low extended to 2524.56
• The Nasdaq up 85.616 points or 1.26% at 6823.47. The high reached 6855.59. The low extended to 6741.395
• The Dow up 98.32 points or 0.42% at 23531. The high reached 23687. The low extended to 23301.

The big winner was the small cap Russell index which rose 1.78% on the day. Big day for the small caps.