U.S. markets head upward

U.S. markets pushed upward Monday morning as White House adviser Lawrence Summers said the economy is showing signs of improvement.

Six months ago, the economy was in a nose dive, people were talking about the possibility of another depression, the statistics all suggested a vertical decline. None of that is the situation right now, Summers said Sunday.

In midmorning trading Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 57.59 points, 0.63 percent, to 9,229.20. The S&P 500 index gained 8.16 points, 0.83 percent, to 995.64. The Nasdaq index added 13.72 points, 0.69 percent, to 1,992.22.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury fell 1 3/32 to yield 3.618 percent.

The euro rose to $1.4357, compared with Friday’s 1.4253. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 95.27 yen, compared with Friday’s 94.62 yen.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index lost 0.04 percent, 4.36 points, to 10,352.47.