Stocks rose today, with the Dow tacking on 618 points for its best single-session gain since May 4. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also scored sizable gains, the former gaining some separation from the bear market territory and the latter snapping a three-day losing streak. Wall Street got a much-needed dose of optimism thanks to comments from President Joe Biden on China tariffs, while JPMorgan Chase (JPM) paced the blue-chip index amid a booming lending business. Elsewhere, Wall Street's "fear gauge," the Cboe Market Volatility Index (VIX), logged its eighth loss in the last 10 trading days, but still remains elevated off its annual lows.

The Dow Jones Average (DJI - 31,880.24) added 618.3 points, or 1.9% today. JPM led the list of 27 Dow gainers after turning in a 6.2% pop, while Dow (DOW) lost 1% to pace the three laggards.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 3,973.75) gained 72.4 points, or 1.9% for the day, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 11,535.27) tacked on 180.7 points or 1.6% for the session.

Lastly, the Cboe Market Volatility Index (VIX - 28.48) shed 1 point, or 3.2% today.

Gold Logs 3-straight

Oil prices climbed today amid tighter supply ahead of the summer, which is expected to be a busy travel season. July-dated crude gained $1.06, or 1%, to settle at $111.35 per barrel.

Fresh off a weekly win, gold logged its third-straight win today. June-dated gold tacked on $5.70, cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $1,847.80 an ounce today.