U.S. stock indexes rally in relief after Irene

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U.S. stock indexes rally in relief after Irene
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks rallied to session highs Monday afternoon, extending last week's gains, as investors expressed relief that the damage from Tropical Storm Irene proved less than feared. On Friday, stocks gained after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke to a global gathering and calmed some of the more dire concerns about the economy. "If we're headed for a recession, earnings could be whacked, but I swear, I don't see it," said Jeffrey Saut, chief investment strategist at Raymond James & Associates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 207.56 points to 11,492.10. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 26.20 points to 1,203.00. The Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 66.19 points to 2,546.04.