. stocks on Thursday finished with a second day of gains as investors continued to bank on at least a short-term fix to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. "I'm still expecting a deal," said Ed Yardeni, chief investment strategist at Yardeni Research Inc., of efforts to avert automatic spending cuts and tax increases slated to begin in the new year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +0.28% rose 36.71 points, or 0.3%, to 13,021.82, leaving it 0.1% ahead on the week, with one session remaining. The S&P 500 index SPX +0.43% climbed 6.02 points, or 0.4%, to 1,415.95. The Nasdaq Composite COMP +0.68% advanced 20.25 points, or 0.7%, to 3,012.03. |