Energy, materials stocks drive Wall Street rally

By Abhiram Nandakumar
(Reuters) – Wall Street was higher on Monday as prices of oil and other commodities surged, pointing to an uptick in investors’ risk appetite following a rout in global markets.
The recovery in commodity prices comes on the heels of recent data pointing to a strengthening of the U.S. economy, which has helped stabilize the market.
The S&P 500 <.SPX> has risen 4.1 percent in the past five days, including Monday’s gains, spurred by better-than-expe