Wall St ends up

U.S. stocks closed up overnight after Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke said the Fed may look to reinvest in mortgage backed securities to provide additional support to the weak U.S. housing market

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 178.08 points, or 1.53 per cent, to close at 11,836.04,

The S&P 500 gained 19.62 points, or 1.61 per cent, to end at 1,237.90. All 10 S&P sectors closed higher, led by energy and utilities.

The Nasdaq composite surged 33.02 points, or 1.27 per cent to close at 2,639.98.