Rally In Stocks

NEW YORK -- Led by companies whose earnings benefit from lower interest rates, stocks finished mixed yesterday on the heels of Monday's powerful rally."

NEW YORK -- Signs of a stronger economy sparked a rally in stocks yesterday, driving several market averages to new highs.Orders for durable goods recorded the largest one-month gain since July 1991, and consumer confidence jumped."

CHICAGO -- Beginning today, the stock market will be tapping its barometer for a glimpse at the rest of the year. The fate of stock prices in January has been a remarkably accurate predictor of performance for the full year.According to Yale Hirsch's "Stock Trader's Almanac," the Standard & Poor's 500 index has followed the direction it set in January for 36 out of the last 41 years through 1990.Last year maintained the trend. A bullish January -- with the S&P 500 index up 14 percent -- foretold a strong, 26 percent gain for 1991.