U.S. stocks surge; S&P 500, Dow gain most in 3 weeks

U.S. stocks ended Thursday with the largest advance in three weeks, as two days of steady oil prices along with dovish comments by a Federal Reserve member helped further fuel a buying frenzy begun Wednesday.

The S&P 500 SPX, +1.79%  added 36.26 points, or 1.8%, to 2,062.14, rising the most in three weeks, with the materials, technology and energy sectors leading gains, each rising more than 2%. Nine out of the 10 S&P sectors ended with a gain of more than 1%.