THE MARKETS

Blue-chip stocks closed sharply higher today after a steep drop in long-term bond interest rates sparked renewed speculation that the Federal Reserve would lower interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 20.78 to end the day at 4601.40. The Nasdaq Composite fell for the second straight day, falling .89 to close at 1,020.04. The Standard & Poor's 500 stocks gained 2.64, closing at 560.10. On the New York Stock exchange advancers led decliners 1291 to 863. And in London, gold closed down $1.05 to end the day at $382.95.SPECIAL PHOTO ESSAY:

Quotes of the Day »

RAY KELLY, New York City Police Commissioner, on the arrest of a New Jersey man in one of the nation's most baffling missing-children cases, the disappearance more than three decades ago of 6-year-old Etan Patz.
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