Stocks rose broadly Tuesday after fears that the U.S. would slip into a recession pounded the market over the last four weeks. Indexes briefly slipped from their highest levels of the day after an earthquake was felt throughout the Northeast.

The stock market stabilized Monday as investors looked for cheap stocks after a four-week losing streak.

Scrambling to protect themselves against a U.S. default, investors are buying gold and foreign currencies, using derivatives to bet on a stock market collapse and taking out complicated insurance policies.

The biggest corporate hiring spree in five years ended a weeklong slide in the stock market.