Wall St extends gains after Bernanke comments

Stocks added to gains on Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the recent decline in commodity prices and stabilization of the U.S. dollar were encouraging.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 143.30 points, or 1.25 percent, to 11,573.51. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index shot up 11.82 points, or 0.93 percent, to 1,289.54. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 24.66 points, or 1.04 percent, to 2,405.04.
The market was already broadly higher before Bernanke's speech at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Economic Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Expectations of an investment in U.S. bank Lehman Brothers underpinned an advance in shares of financial services companies.
Shares of No. 3 U.S. bank, JPMorgan, more than 4 percent to $38.06.
A decline in oil prices boosted shares of big manufacturers, including United Technologies, airlines and consumer-oriented companies. Shares of major technology companies were another standout. United Tech was up 1.8 percent to $65.38.