MARKET REPORT Stocks up as focus shifts to profits

Investors shrugged off geopolitical jitters Monday, sending U.S. stocks broadly higher and extending the market’s gains from last week.

Technology companies, health care stocks and industrial firms accounted for much of the rally as traders focused on the latest company earnings and deal news. Oil prices fell after surging last week ahead of the U.S.led missile attack on Syria’s chemical weapons program.

The S&P 500 index rose 21.54 points, or 0.8 percent, to 2,677.84. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 212.90 points, or 0.9 percent, to 24,573.04. The Nasdaq added 49.63 points, or 0.7 percent, to 7,156.28. The Russell 2000 index of smallercompany stocks picked up 13.52 points, or 0.9 percent, to 1,563.03.

“It’s some relief from the global political situation over the weekend,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. “The other thing is we’ve had over the last few weeks particularly this buildup in pessimism, and that provided some opportunity for stocks to rally once the news of this event was out of the way.”

The market was in rally mode from the start of trading Monday, despite a selloff among major indexes in Europe.

Investors seemed to put aside concerns over the geopolitical tensions that led to Friday night’s missile attack by the U.S., Britain and France on Syria’s chemical weapons program.

Instead, the market shifted its focus to corporate America. Wall Street is forecasting the strongest growth in seven years for S&P 500 companies, and the hope has been that healthy profit reports will steady the market after a rough couple of months. Over the long term, stock prices tend to track the progress of corporate profits.

A couple of gambling companies were among the big movers Monday.

Carl Icahn’s company struck a roughly $1.85 billion deal that would fuse the gambling and hotel operations of Tropicana Entertainment to Eldorado Resorts Inc. Tropicana vaulted 26.8 percent to $69.75. Eldorado jumped 16.2 percent to $41.50.

Truck and engine maker Navistar International jumped 9.8 percent to $40.71 after Reuters reported that Volkswagen might buy the company.

Traders sold shares in WPP, the world’s largest ad agency, after its chief executive officer, Martin Sorrell, resigned over an investigation into personal misconduct. Analysts say his departure could leave the company he founded three decades ago rudderless, but could also see parts sold off for higher value. The stock fell 4.7 percent to $80.56.

Oil prices fell back from spikes last week on fears over an escalation of strife in the Middle East. Benchmark U.S. crude declined $1.17, or 1.7 percent, to settle at $66.22 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, slid $1.16, or 1.6 percent, to close at $71.42 per barrel.

Bond prices didn’t move much. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 2.83 percent.

The dollar fell to 107.10 yen from 107.41 yen on Friday. The euro strengthened to $1.2381 from $1.2334.

Gold rose $2.80 to $1,350.70 an ounce. Silver added 2 cents to $16.68 an ounce. Copper gained 2 cents to $3.10 a pound.

In other energy futures trading, heating oil dropped 3 cents to $2.07 a gallon, while wholesale gasoline slid 3 cents to $2.04 a gallon. Natural gas rose 2 cents to $2.75 per 1,000 cubic feet.