US stocks jump

US equity investors bid up prices on Tuesday, delivering another day of gains for major indexes on the heels of upbeat quarterly results from tech giant Apple and talk of economic stimulus in Europe. By far the best performer, driven primarily by Apple, was the Nasdaq Composite, which registered its fourth consecutive gain and its best one-day advance in more than two years. The tech-heavy index COMP, +2.40% jumped 103.4 points, or 2.4%, to 4,419.48, led by gains in biotech stocks, with the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF IBB,+3.22 rallying 3.2%. Strong earnings from Apple Inc., as well as hopes of further stimulus from the European Central Bank, boosted sentiment across the market. Other major indexes enjoyed healthy gains. The S&P 500 SPX,+1.96 rallied 37.27 points, or 2%, to 1,941.28, its biggest one-day gain in a year. The benchmark index rose for the fourth straight day and moved above the key level, fostering hopes that last week’s pullback has run its course.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +1.31% rose 215 points, or 1.3%, to 16,614.81 and turned positive for the year, according to marketwatch.com