U.S. stocks close higher as a September rally marches on; the Dow has best week since January

9/13/2013

NEW YORK — Stocks are continuing their September rally.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed out its best week since January with a gain of 3 percent.

Today the Dow rose 75 points, or 0.5 percent, to 15,376.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose four points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,687.

The Nasdaq composite rose six points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,722.

Intel led the Dow higher with a gain of 81 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $23.24 after Jefferies & Co. upgraded its rating on the stock.

Ulta Salon surged $17.43, or 17 percent, to $117.53 after reporting a 28 percent profit gain.

Three stocks rose for every two that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was lighter than average at 2.7 billion shares.