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NEW YORK (MCT) — A stock rally Monday sparked by merger news and improving U.S. eco- nomic data pushed some averages just into positive territory for the year, while others reached just shy of the mark. The Dow Jones industri- al average gained 78.53 points, or 0.8 percent, to end at 10,403.79, less than 25 points shy of its 2009 close. Caterpillar Inc.'s stock, which often benefits from signs of strength in the glob- al economy's manufactur- ing sector, was among the Dow's big winners, up 1.4 percent. Travelers Cos. was also strong, rising 0.9 percent amid a broader rally among insurers after U.K.-based Prudential PLC agreed to buy American International Group's Asia operations for $35.5 billion in cash and stock. Prudential PLC isn't related to U.S. insurer Pru- dential Financial Inc. Speculation that a wave of deal-making might con- tinue helped the small-cap Russell 2000, which includes many companies that might be acquisition targets. It rose 2.2 percent, easily outperforming other stock-market yardsticks. The Russell, which had a small year-to-date gain coming into Monday's ses- sion, moved further into the black, ending at 642.65, up 2.8 percent for 2010. Other measures moved into positive territory for the year to date by a slim mar- gin. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.6 percent to 2,273.57, up 0.2 percent for the year. The Standard & Poor's 500- share index managed a 1 percent rise to end at 1,115.71, up 0.1 percent on the year. "It's encouraging to see a lot of willing buyers out there," said strategist Jack Ablin, of Harris Private Bank in Chicago. "It calls attention to the fact that there's a lot of corporate cash sitting on balance sheets, which makes you wonder who else might be willing to step up and buy something at a bargain." Some investors, howev- er, saw a downside to the Prudential deal, which helped to send the British pound down sharply on fears that completion of the merger would entail heavy selling of the sterling. The euro was also sharply lower as some traders bet that steps to prop up heavily indebted Greece might be near. The greenback's strength helped to fuel a general pullback in prices of raw materials, leaving the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index down 0.7 percent at the bell. But copper was a notable exception to the pullback, in part because of the weekend's earthquake in Chile, which is the world's largest producer of the metal. Traders said there was a rush to cover bearish bets, though most participants expect little near-term dis- ruption to Chile's mining industry, which is centered on ore deposits several hun- dred miles from the epicen- ter of the earthquake "The market reacted rather emotionally," said Mike Frawley, global head of metals for the futures brokerage Newedge. 8B – Daily News – Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Bartlett & Spence 1395 Montgomery Rd. Red Bluff, Ca • 527-2276 Marie Bartlett & Shirley Spence and • Payroll • Bookkeeping Open year around Beautiful Hair & Nails Welcomes: Anneliese Peterson For appts or directions Call: 200-Hair Providing: Cuts, Colors, Styles and smiles for the whole family Open Mon.-Fri. Located on the corner of Lincoln & Walnut ADVANCED HYDROPONICS Indoor Lighting 1417 SOLANO ST., CORNING 824-1100 & Gardening 10-25% OFF MSRP NOW OPEN SUNDAYS B.B.Q. 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