Stocks climbed and oil prices tumbled Monday, easing fears that a surge in commodity prices could stall the U.S. economy as investors awaited a likely interest-rate increase by the Federal Reserve later this week.
Around midday in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 1%, and the S&P 500 gained 0.5%. The benchmark stock index has fallen for four of the five past weeks. Investors have been spooked by the war in Ukraine and a rally in commodity prices sparked by the conflict, on top of the prospect of rising rates. They have pushed into perceived havens such as gold, while selling stocks.