NEW YORK (AP) - Encouraging news on the economy gave the stock market a boost on Tuesday.
Stocks also rose on expectations that the conflict between Russia and the West wouldn't escalate further. Russia's President Vladimir Putin is preparing to complete the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, but he said Tuesday that he won't take over other areas of Ukraine.
The stock market is recovering this week after logging its biggest weekly drop in almost two months. The S&P 500 has gained 1.7 percent this week after dropping almost 2 percent last week on concerns about slowing growth in China and tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
The annexation of Crimea "is a horrible thing for the world in the long term," said Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners. "But the market doesn't want unrest."
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 13.42 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,872.25. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 88.97 points, or 0.6 percent, to 16,336.19. The Nasdaq composite climbed 53.36 points, or 1.3 percent, to 4,333.31.
Stocks opened higher after Putin told the Russian Parliament not to believe those who say that the country will look to take over other areas of Ukraine.
The stock market also got a lift from a report that showed inflation remains tame, despite a big rise in the cost of food.
The consumer price index rose 0.1 percent in February, matching January's increase, the Labor Department said Tuesday. In the past 12 months, prices have risen just 1.1 percent, the smallest yearly gain in five months.