Cruise stocks help lead S&P 500 gainers, with biggest gains this year

Shares of cruise operators shot up on Monday toward their best gains in months, as some optimism from medical experts regarding the severity of the omicron variant assuaged investor fears over possible new COVID restrictions. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.'s stock ran up 11.0%, enough to make it the biggest gainer among S&P 500 components, and putting it on track for the biggest one-day gain Nov. 9, 2020, when it rocketed 26.8%. Elsewhere, Carnival Corp. shares were the S&P 500's third-best performers, hiking up 9.7% toward the best day since Nov. 16. And Royal Caribbean Corp.'s stock rallied 9.6%, and was the fourth biggest S&P 500 gainer; it was headed for the biggest gain since Feb. 16. The stocks' rallies come after they all closed at 13-month lows on Dec. 1. In comparison, the S&P 500 was rising 1.0%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.