Stocks Rebound after Their Losing Run

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after an encouraging start to earnings season helped equities rebound from five days of losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 89.46 points, or 0.70%, to 12,805.39. The S&P 500 added 10.12 points, or 0.74%, to 1,368.71. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 25.24 points, or 0.84%, to 3,016.46.

A Federal Reserve survey of business conditions across the United States suggests last month’s pullback in hiring may prove to be temporary. The survey released Wednesday showed that each of the Fed’s 12 bank districts grew steadily from mid-February through April 2. And the survey noted that hiring was stable or increased in most of the country.

Research In Motion said it will shortly release a slew of updates for its BlackBerry apps, making it easier for users to stay connected with their messenger community. Apps such as Facebook, Twitter, BBM Music and BlackBerry App World will now include BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) connectivity, the Canadian company said in a statement on Wednesday.

American International Group Inc. (AIG) is planning to jump back into U.S. property investing, reversing yearslong efforts to downsize its real-estate business in the wake of its near-collapse and government bailout in 2008.

The price of natural gas has dropped to $2 for the first time in more than a decade. Gas briefly touched $2 before heading back up to $2.009 per 1,000 cubic feet Wednesday afternoon.