Dow Ends Day Up 108

Banks led the stock market higher Monday as investors anticipate that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates this year from their historically low levels, the AP reports. That could help banks recover from a long slump by making lending more profitable. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 107.59 points, or 0.6%, to 18,502.99. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 11.34 points, or 0.5%, to 2,180.38. The Nasdaq composite edged up 13.41 points, or 0.3%, to 5,232.33. Major US banks posted solid gains as traders bet that the Fed was likely to nudge interest rates higher in December or even at its next policy meeting in September. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told a conference last week that the case for raising rates was strengthening given improvements in the economy. (More Dow Jones stories.)