Stocks jumped out of the gate and stayed there through the close. Today's upside came courtesy of bargain hunters and an encouraging update on the labor market. A round of well-received earnings reports also boosted sentiment.
Market volatility has ramped up over the past week as disappointing economic data reignited recession chatter – and sparked concerns the Federal Reserve waited too long to cut interest rates. Indeed, losses for the main indexes ranged from 5% to 8% between the July 31 and August 7 closes.
