NEW YORK — US stocks rallied Monday for a third straight day, finding support from corporate mergers and signs that Japan may be closer to stabilizing the nuclear crisis at its earthquake-hit plant.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 178.01 points, or 1.5 percent, to 12,036.53, led by a three percent rise in Boeing Co. shares.

The last time the Dow closed above 12,000 was March 11, the first US trading session after a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan.

The S&P 500 gained 19.18 points, or 1.5 percent, to 1,298.38, with energy shares leading gains. The Nasdaq Composite ended up 48.42 points, or 1.8 percent, to 2,692.09.

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