Industrial Firms Lead Recovery

Stocks rebounded from yesterday's miserable day to close with mild gains, MarketWatch reports. Energy and industrial firms did well after yesterday's huge sell-off, but concerns about Lehman Brothers continued to weigh on the financial sector. The Dow closed up 38.19 points at 11,268.92, the Nasdaq rose 18.89 to 2,228.70, and the S&P 500 gained 7.53 to 1,232.04.

Traders continue to unwind bets on commodities and foreign currency, moving that money back into US stocks as foreign economies looked increasingly weak. As oil prices continued to fall, American energy and industrial firms benefited: GM saw a 6.4% gain, leading advances by Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Caterpillar, and IBM. Lehman fell another 7.7%—still a far cry from yesterday's drop of 45%—after revealing a $3.9 billion quarterly loss and a major restructuring. (More Dow Jones stories.)