Stocks are notching their best gain in nearly two weeks as investors respond to some positive earnings surprises. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 217 points, or 1.3%, to 17,141 Thursday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 29 points, or 1.5%, to 2,023. The Nasdaq composite rose 87 points, or 1.8%, to 4,870.
Financial stocks rose after Citigroup reported better profits for the third quarter than analysts were expecting. Citi climbed 4%. KeyCorp also rose 5% after reporting its earnings. Hospital operator HCA fell 5% after saying its earnings would fall short of projections. Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.02%. (More Dow Jones stories.)