U.S. Stocks Advance, Sending Dow to Highest Since October 2008

March 17, 2010, 4:45 PM EDT

March 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks gained, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to the highest level since October 2008, on evidence the economic recovery isn’t stoking inflation.

Alcoa Inc. and DuPont Co. led gains that sent the Dow up for a seventh straight day as the U.S. government said producer prices decreased 0.6 percent in February, underscoring the Federal Reserve’s assessment that inflation is subdued. BlackRock Inc. jumped 4.9 percent after Credit Suisse Group AG boosted its rating to “outperform.â€