RED-LETTER DAY: The Dow Jones industrial average on Tuesday reclaimed the ground it held before the carnage of the Great Recession, closing above 13,000 for the first time since May 19, 2008. The Dow settled at 13,005.12.
FOR THE PROS: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed at 1,372.18, its highest since May 2008. Analysts and big-money investors watch the S&P 500 closely. It has touched 1,370 repeatedly without breaking through that level. Its new momentum could bring the index even higher, analysts say.
HOW WE GOT HERE: The Dow retook 13,000 the old-fashioned way ? riding a wave of improving economic data.
