While we should always keep in mind that what goes up can easily come down:

“The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit the 12,000 level Wednesday for the first time since June 2008.” (Reuters)

The New York Stock Exchange tracks the Dow here.

What’s behind this morning’s upward push?

The Wall Street Journal says “investors cheered a wave of corporate earnings and President Barack Obama’s call for corporate tax cuts and a spending freeze.”

The Journal also says the market could get a boost later when Federal Reserve policymakers issue their latest thoughts on how the economy’s doing and what that means for monetary policy. Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.