Dow breaks 10,000

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) closed above 10,000 today for the first time in about a year, as all three major indexes hit new highs for 2009.

The rally was prompted by strong earnings from banking giant JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Intel (INTC), and it reflects a strongly held view that an economic recovery is emerging in the United States and around the world.

The Dow finished up 145 points, or 1.5%, to 10,016. That is its best finish since Oct. 3, 2008, in the midst of last year's financial collapse. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index ($INX) was up 19 points, or 1.8%, to 1,092, also the best finish for the broad-based index since Oct. 3, 2008. The Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPX) was up 32 points, or 1.5%, to 2,172. That's the best finish for the index since Sept. 26, 2008.

The Dow is now up 53% since bottoming on March 9. The S&P 500 is up 61%, and the Nasdaq has soared 71%. The Nasdaq-100 Index ($NDX.X), which tracks the largest Nasdaq stocks, is up 68%.