Rally enters third month

NEW YORK - Wall Street extended its rally into a third month, placing cautious bets on a recovery.

Stocks ended higher yesterday after quiet trading amid mixed economic data and earnings reports.

The market's major gauges saw gains of about 1.5 percent for the week.

Companies also reported mixed results. MasterCard Inc.'s first-quarter revenue fell short of expectations, and two insurers, MetLife Inc. and the Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., posted losses. Reports from manufacturer Manitowoc Co. and computer security software maker McAfee Inc. beat forecasts.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 44.29, or 0.5 percent, to 8,212.41. The S&P 500 index rose 4.71, or 0.5 percent, to 877.52, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 1.90, or 0.1 percent, to 1,719.20.

The rally could falter after the government releases results from its "stress tests" of major banks to determine which will need more aid. Word came yesterday that announcement of the results was pushed from Monday to Thursday as negotiations between banks and regulators continue.