YAHOO [BRIEFING.COM]: Financial stocks were whipsawed to a strong gain that helped the broader market recover from a modest loss to make a strong finish.

Early gains were quickly challenged as participants reapplied pressure to financial shares. That sent the financial sector from a gain of more than 1% down to a loss of nearly 1% at its session low. However, the sector was able to stage a rebound amid news that an SEC decision to press on with charges of fraud against Goldman Sachs (GS 163.32, +2.62) was only secured with a 3-to-2 vote, which suggested that the case might not be so strong. Shares of GS finished near their session high, while the broader financial sector settled with a 1.1% gain.

Citigroup (C 4.88, +0.32) recouped all of its losses from the prior session with a 7.0% surge. The move followed better-than-expected earnings.

While renewed strength in the financial sector provided a necessary lift to the broader market, technicals played a part, too. As such, support surfaced for the S&P 500 around 1186 and the Dow brought in buyers when it breached 11,000.

Most of the better performing blue chips in the Dow were buoyed by anticipation for their earnings. IBM (IBM 132.23, +1.60), Coca-Cola (KO 55.32, +0.35), and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ 66.03, +1.01) were atop the list.

A pullback by the greenback boosted the afternoon bid. The buck settled with a gain of less than 0.2% against competing currencies.

Despite the dollar's diminished strength, commodities succumbed to selling. That left the CRB Commodity Index to fall 1.1%. Oil prices were pushed 2.2% lower to close pit trade at $81.45 per barrel. That marked the third straight loss for crude oil prices.

Commodities were weak this session as the dollar index rallied amid sovereign concerns which took the euro lower.

Energy commodities lost 1.7%. Crude oil ended lower for the third straight session. After bouncing off the $80.50 level in the early morning, May crude oil closed 2.2% lower at $81.45 per barrel. May natural gas sold off soon after the open and closed 2.2% lower at $3.95 per MMBtu. Gold and silver futures were down about 1% heading into the open of the pit trade.

Both precious metals worked their way back to the flat line as the dollar tempered its move to the upside. May gold closed down marginally at $1135.20 per ounce. May silver closed 0.3% higher at $17.73 per ounce.

Trading volume was strong this session. In fact, with nearly 1.3 billion shares trading hands on the NYSE this session, it was one of the most actively traded non-options expiration sessions this year.

Advancing Sectors: Financials (+1.1%), Telecom (+1.1%), Health Care (+0.8%), Consumer Staples (+0.4%), Consumer Discretionary (+0.3%), Materials (0.2%), Tech (+0.2%), Utilities (+0.2%), Energy (+0.2%)
Declining Sectors: (None)
Unchanged: Industrials DJ30 +73.39 NASDAQ -1.15 NQ100 +0.00% R2K -0.5% SP400 -0.3% SP500 +5.39 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1009/2.15 bln/1672 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1324/1.26 bln/1681