Stocks have another big day

Wall Street's gloom appears to be lifting, at least for now. Today's session was helped by some decent economic news and Bank of America improving its liquidity position by selling half its stake in China Construction Bank. Plus, the hurricane didn't turn out to be a major event for the overall economy. The Dow gained 254 points on the day, to close at 11,539 - and within sight of breaking even for 2011. Keep in mind that trading volume was thin, with some traders not showing up because of the storm, and some not even scheduled to come in because it's the last week of August.