500 rose 2.9percentthethe biggest advance among the benchmark's 24 industry groups.
In the absence of a perfect benchmark, the best course for you and your money manager is to agree in advance on the benchmark against which he will be judged.
The country's stock market advanced, too, with the benchmark Bovespa index returning more than 80 percent.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index added 1.35 points, or 0.1percentto to 1,046.03, with 17 of the 19 semiconductor-related stocks in the benchmark advancing.
The benchmark indexes advanced earlier after the Conference Board's confidence index increased more than estimated, to 55.9, as the labor market improved, while companies like Apple and Travelers posted earnings that topped estimates.
In Europe the German DAX gained 29% and the FTSE 100 6%; even the benchmark Greek index advanced, by 33%.
North Korea's firing of a Taepodong 2 rocket Sunday didn't put a damper on South Korean financial markets, as the benchmark Kospi index advanced 2.2%, or 28.25 points, to 1,312.00.
Meanwhile, North Korea's firing of a Taepodong 2 rocket Sunday didn't put a damper on South Korean financial markets, as the benchmark Kospi index advanced 1.1%, or 14.10, to 1,297.85.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.4%, to 5,206.9, and the broader All Ordinaries index added 1.4%, to 5,288.5.
In 2012, 85percentt of fifth-grade students were proficient or advanced on the science portion of the Benchmark Exam compared with 60percentt in the state.
Mainland Chinese shares advanced strongly late in the day, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gaining 1.8 percent to close at 2,350.86.
