Stocks of military contractors jumped Monday on rising tensions as Israel and Hamas waged war to highlight our Huntsville and Alabama Stock Report.

Northrop Grumman was the biggest gainer at 11.4%, followed by Lockheed Martin (8.9%) and RTX (4.6%).

Science Applications International rose 4.1%.

Overall, oil prices climbed Monday on worries about violence in the Middle East. The stock market was less fearful, though, and flipped from early losses to gains.

The S&P 500 rose 27.16, or 0.6%, following some potentially encouraging news on interest rates, which have been dragging Wall Street mainly lower since the summer.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 197.07 points, or 0.6%, to 33,604.65, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 52.90, or 0.4%, to 13,484.24.