Investors ushered in the New Year by piling into stocks Wednesday, cheering U.S. lawmakers' ability to reach a last minute deal to avert the fiscal cliff. The market finished the day near its highs. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted their largest percentage increases since late 2011. The Institute for Supply Management's monthly manufacturing index showed activity rebounded in December. But investors shrugged off the Census Bureau's data on construction spending, which showed a decrease of 0.3% in November. Analysts had predicted a 0.5% increase.
