U.S. stock extended their gains to end on a positive note, rebounding from sharp losses last Friday, after Greece parliament approved an austerity package to avoid debt default amid protests in Athens.
S&P 500 Index gained 0.68 percent to finish at 1,351.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.57 percent to end at 12,874.04. The Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 2,931.39, up 0.95 percent.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: (AAPL, REGN, CHK, DBD, ABC)
In corporate news, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) rose 1.86 percent to finish regular trading session at $502.60. Shares topped $500 for the first time when it opened its regular trading session. Apple gained 17 percent since its announcement of quarterly results on Jan 24 and reports that it is set to unveil its iPad 3 next month.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) spiked 12.3 percent to end at $114.65 after the company boosted its full-year sales forecast of its Eylea drug to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. The New York-based company now sees U.S. Eylea sales between $250 million and $300 million from prior view of $140 to $160 million.
Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) gained 2.3 per cent to $22.66 after the company disclosed plans to raise up to $12 billion from asset sales this year to achieve its debt reduction targets.
Diebold Inc. (NYSE:DBD), which manufactures automated teller machines, guided 2012 EPS forecast between $2.30 and $2.50, above consensus estimate of $2.26. The stock soared 9.1 percent to end at $37.94.
AmerisourceBergen Corp. (NYSE: ABC) dropped 3.6 percent to finish at $37.21. The pharmaceutical services company named Tim Guttman as the company's acting chief financial officer, following the departure of Michael DiCandilo as CFO, effective immediately. The company also reaffirmed its 2012 earnings forecast of between $2.74 and $2.84, on flat to modest revenue rise.
Global Markets:
The European markets finished higher as Greece developments dominated the headlines. Germany's DAX gained 0.68 percent to end at 6,738.47. France's CAC40 advanced 0.34 percent to close at 3,384.55. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.91 percent to finish at 5,905.70.
In the Asian market, China's SSE Composite Index edged 0.01 percent higher to close at 2,352.24 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.50 percent to close at 20,887.40. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.58 percent to end at 8,999.18. India's BSE 30 Sensex finished 0.14 percent higher at 17,772.84.
Market Scan:
Commodities closed the day on a mixed note with crude oil strengthening 2.00 percent to end at $100.64 per barrel, while natural gas price dropped 1.82 percent to close at $2.432 per million metric British thermal units. Gold inched 0.03 percent lower to $1,724.7 per ounce, while silver prices rose 0.30 percent to close at $33.705 per ounce.
In the currency market, the euro edged 0.02 percent lower against the U.S. dollar to $1.3194. The British pound gained 0.09 percent against the greenback, and the dollar inched 0.05 percent lower against the Japanese yen to 77.5700.