Stocks make small gains on signs of compromise

10/9/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS
  • Wall-Street-Premarket-180

    FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, file photo, trader Gregory Rowe, left, and specialist Anthony Rinaldi work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stock futures are higher, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, with President Barack Obama set to nominate Janet Yellen to head the Federal Reserve. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

  • NEW YORK — Stocks are closing mostly higher today on early signs of progress on ending a budget stalemate in Washington.

    President Obama is making plans to talk with Republican lawmakers at the White House in the coming days as pressure builds on both sides to resolve their deadlock over the federal debt limit and the partial government shutdown.

    The Dow Jones industrial average rose 26 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 14,803 today.

    The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose a point, or 0.1 percent, at 1,656. The Nasdaq composite fell 17 points, or 0.5 percent, to 3,677.

    Rising and falling stocks were evenly split on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was higher than average at 3.6 billion shares.