Dow went up 132, advancers over decliners 5-4 & NAZ advanced 258.  The MLP index added 1 to the 279s & the REIT index crawled up to the 379s.  Junk bond funds were mixed & Treasuries had a little selling, raising yields (more below).  Oil rose in the 81s & gold inched up 1 to 2163.

AMJ (Alerian MLP Index tracking fund)

Homebuilder sentiment turns positive for the first time since July

Americans are struggling to put more money in their pocket as earnings drop

Treasury yields were little changed as investors looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's Mar meeting, which could provide clues about the outlook for interest rates.  The yield on the 10-year Treasury was unchanged & the 2-year Treasury yield was 1 basis point lower at 4.71%.  Yields & prices move in opposite directions & 1 basis point equals 0.01%.  The Fed is due to meet tomorrow & Wed & will announce its latest interest rate decision & monetary policy guidance at the end of its meeting.  Markets are widely expecting the central bank to leave interest rates unchanged.  However, investors are hoping that the central bank will provide clues about its expectations for monetary policy, including when rates may be cut & how many rate cuts will likely take place this year.  This comes after recent inflation data for Feb came in slightly higher than expected, indicating that pressures from rising prices remain persistent.  Fed policymakers have previously said that their decision-making regarding interest rates would be data-dependent & that they were still looking for more evidence that inflation is easing.  Traders were last pricing in a roughly 58% chance of rates being cut in June, slightly lower than earlier in the month, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool.

Treasury yields are little changed as investors look to Fed meeting

Dow Jones Industrials