The Conference Board reported that its leading economic index soared by 1.2% last month to lift the markets to a higher close with the Dow gaining 72 points to 23,430. Nasdaq added 7 points to 6,790.

On the upside

Bargain hunters lifted shares of Diana Containerships (Nasdaq: DCIX).

Shares of Drive Shack (NYSE: DS) extended its gains.

Susquehanna lifted its price target on Hibbett Sports (Nasdaq: HIBB) from $17.00 to $21.00.

On the downside

Investors continued to lock in profits on Prothena (Nasdaq: PRTA).

Profit taking weighed down shares of Westport Fuel Systems (Nasdaq: WPRT).

Shares of Sociedad Qimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM) fell ahead of its earnings release on Wednesday.

In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 3 to 2 on the NYSE and by more than 3 to 2 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 added 3 points to 2,582. Bitcoin soared $221 to $8,241.