Closing Bell

Stocks rose modestly on Monday on growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will take steps to boost the economy. A falling dollar that contributed to a jump in commodity prices also helped push the Dow Jones industrial average up 31 points to its highest close since late April. Traders are widely expecting the Fed to expand its program to buy bonds as a way to stimulate the economy. That would push bond yields down and, in turn, would make stocks a more attractive investment. For the second time in the past week, the Dow eclipsed its highest closing level this year only to quickly pullback. It closed at 11,205 on April 26. The average rose 31, or 0.3 percent, to 11,164. The broader Standard and Poor's 500 index rose 2.5, or 0.2 percent, to 1,185, while the technology-focused Nasdaq composite index rose 11.4, or 0.5 percent, to 2,490. All in all, a solid day as the uptrend continues. We have moved our stops up across the board as we expect this next week to be quite volatile.