Tuesday

Soaring bank shares led the broader stock market higher as Bank of America raised hopes that it will increase dividends and share buybacks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1%, pushing the blue-chip index back to just short of where it started the month. Bank of America rose 4.7% today after Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said he believes the bank has the ability to earn between $35 billion and $40 billion per year in pretax earnings when the business normalizes. The economic calendar was fairly quiet today, though a survey of small businesses showed more firms are planning to raise their selling prices and increase hiring. DJIA +124.35 Nasdaq +20.14 S&P 500 +11.69.