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NEW YORK (MCT) — U.S. stocks ended with a slight gain Tuesday after being whipsawed by bets in the financial sector and a rally in telecommunica- tions, which benefited from Cisco Systems Inc.'s unveil- ing of a new router. The Dow Jones Industri- al Average moved between gains and losses late in the day before ending 11.86 points higher, or 0.1 per- cent, at 10,564.38. The Nas- daq Composite Index was the strongest of the major indexes, with a gain of 0.4 percent. The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent, led by a 1.2 percent gain in its telecommunica- tions sector, which benefit- ed from hopes that Cisco's new device will help allevi- ate congestion on mobile data networks. Sprint Nextel Corp. shares jumped 6.5 percent, while Verizon Communica- tions shares rose 0.9 per- cent. The S&P 500's financial sector finished with a small gain overall, up just 0.3 per- cent. But there was extremely heavy volume in just four of its names: American Inter- national Group leapt 12.6 percent, Fannie Mae jumped 5.9 percent, Freddie Mac leapt 7.6 percent, and Citigroup was up 7.3 per- cent. Citi was helped by a report on Fox Business that the government is dis- cussing plans to sell its 27 percent stake in the bank, perhaps within the next three months. That in turn spurred buying in some of the other names that are still subject to the heaviest gov- ernment involvement in the wake of the recent financial crisis, though no moves had been announced by the Treasury or other agencies as of Tuesday's market close. AIG surged as a debt sale by an important unit went well, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. A $1.3 billion loan offering by International Lease Finance Corp. has met with strong investor demand, which will enable the aircraft-leas- ing unit of AIG to raise fresh funds to repay some of its maturing debt, the news- paper said. In general, traders and analysts said Tuesday's ses- sion saw an increase in speculative betting, which added volatility and under- scored the lack of confi- dence that has developed on trading floors since the mar- ket hit its bear-market lows exactly one year ago. "The main thing the market has going for it at this point is cheap money," thanks to low borrowing costs from central banks around the world, said Dar- ren Chervitz, research direc- tor at Jacob Asset Manage- ment. "We're positioning ourselves for the day when fundamentals will matter again, but we haven't reached that point yet." The Dow is now up 61 percent from its 12-year low hit on March 9, 2009, mark- ing the depths of the finan- cial crisis. The S&P 500 is up 69 percent over that timeframe, while the Nas- daq Composite is up 85 per- cent. The technology and tele- com names that dominate the Nasdaq have often ben- efited over the past year from optimism that an early wave of capital investment will fuel a broader U.S. eco- nomic recovery, even as consumer spending and employment lag. This week, Cisco's announcement regarding its new router, dubbed the CRS-3, has meshed nicely with that broader invest- ment theme. The device would function as part of the backbone of networks that carriers assemble to deliver information to large swaths of customers, not an at-home device for individ- uals to set up for personal use. Cisco, which hit a 52- week high on Monday in anticipation of the router announcement, ended flat on Tuesday. But some of its potential customers showed big gains, including a 1.1 per- cent gain in AT&T. 8B – Daily News – Wednesday, March 10, 2010 BR380 D BACK PACK BLOWER $ 349 95 Great for breaking up loose clumps of wet leaves and debris, this reduced emissions STIHL leaf blower features an easy grip throttle control with cruise control and a smaller tube diameter for higher air velocity. SG 20 MANUAL BACKPACK SPRAYER $ 119 95 The SG20 has a pressurized fluid reservoir separate from the main tank, so you can maintain constant pressure and refill without losing working pressure. MS 180 C-BE MiniBossTM $ 229 95 14" bar POLE PRUNERS HT 100 $ 449 95 HT 101 $ 599 95 HT 131 $ 649 95 All prices are PS-SRP. Available at participating dealers. © 2010 STIHL PAS9-1522-87145-11 MS 290 STIHL FARM BOSS ® $ 369 95 • Our #1 selling chain saw model NEW! MS 211 CHAIN SAW $ 269 95 Advanced engine technology at a value price 16" bar 20" bar www.integrityhvac.com Visit our website @ 5213 Industrial Way, Anderson, CA State Lic. 750325 Solar Lic. 931200 Comfort you can trust! Redding 242-9100 Anderson 365-9100 Red Bluff 528-9100 March 15th - 21st, $49 special Ages 3 to 9, All costumes provided Call NOW TO SCHEDULE! 530-200-2255 Markets end higher, with financials in late-session spotlight Wall Street