An American public desperately looking for an end to this recession might finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We aren't there yet -- and the trip could take some time -- but there are a number of promising indicators.
The biggest signs have come from the stock market. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 104 points Monday, its sixth straight trading day of gains, to close at 8,848. That's up 35 percent from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 hit on March 9. In July alone, the index has gained 4.75 percent.
The stock market opened higher again today, possibly extending the rally further.
Stocks still have a ways to go. The Dow has yet to break above its high for the year -- 9,034 points hit on Jan. 2 -- and is still down more than 5,000 points, or 37 percent, from its record close of 14,164, hit on Oct. 9, 2007.
But the much-broader Standard & Poor's 500 climbed Monday to its highest finish since November. The Nasdaq composite index had its ninth straight advance Monday and is at its highest mark since Oct. 3.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=8134363&page=1
