The Dow Gains 94 Points, Nasdaq Adds 12

The Dow gained 93.58 points to close at 11,669.39, the Nasdaq added 12.27 points to close at 2,261.34 and the S&P 500 gained 9.97 to close at 1,336.34. The markets pushed higher as investors felt the excitement of reaching an all-time high (on the Dow). Positive economic data carried today's rally to the highest level seen in 2006. 11,723 is only 54 points away and tomorrow could get us there. Separately, everyone wants to know about oil - Light crude settled down $0.44 to $61.01.

Volume was active with 2.82 billion shares trading on the NYSE and 2.08 billion on the Nasdaq. Advancers topped Decliners by a margin of 21:12 on the NYSE and 16:14 on the Nasdaq.

In individual stories, Mindray Medical International Limited (NYSE: MR) closed 30% higher: The IPO closed at $17.55 after pricing its initial public offering of 20,000,000 American Depositary Shares (ADSs) at US$13.50 per ADS, above the expected range of US$10-$12. Warner Chilcott (Nasdaq: WCRX) fell 16% after Barr Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: BRL) announced that Warner Chilcott had unilaterally waived the exclusivity provision of the license for Barr's generic version of the company's OVCON 35 Tablets oral contraceptive.

Tomorrow, traders will be looking for earnings from Actuant (NYSE: ATU), McCormick (NYSE: MCK) and Resources Connect (Nasdaq: RECN). Investors will be looking for Economic data on Durable Orders (8:30AM EST), New Home Sales (10:00AM EST) and Oil Inventories (10:30AM EST).

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