YAHOO [BRIEFING.COM]: Thanks to broad-based buying, the S&P 500 made solid gains in its first trading session of the week, but the broad market benchmark encountered resistance as it approached last week's highs. Still, stocks settled near their best levels of the session.

Energy stocks and materials stocks led gains for the entire session. They settled 2.6% and 1.5% higher, respectively. Their gains were largely underpinned by strong moves among basic commodities and natural resources as the International Monetary Fund fed economic hopes by saying that the global recovery may begin early next year, sooner than it had previously expected. Commodity prices were also helped by a weaker U.S. dollar, which fell 1.0% against a basket of major foreign currencies to hit an 11-month low after the U.N. said that the greenback should be replaced by a new global reserve currency.

The confluence of positive factors drove gold prices to fresh 18-month highs above $1,008 per ounce, but prices eventually reversed course to settle with a fractional gain at $999.50 per ounce. Oil prices made one of their best single-session percentage gains in more than one month by jumping 3.1% to $71.19 per barrel. That move came ahead of tomorrow's OPEC meeting.

Though energy and materials stocks performed well throughout the session, the broader market fell into a few fits of choppy trading. The more dramatic moves to the downside came as stocks approached last week's highs. However, buyers did show some resolve by bidding stocks back toward session highs ahead of the closing bell.

Health care was the only sector unable to participate in the day's gains. The sector settled 0.4% lower amid ongoing health care reform efforts, including a public option, which New York Times reported is being weighed by the White House. Separate articles suggested nonprofit cooperatives could be proposed as a compromise. Both types of plans have already been part of the contentious debate regarding plans to provide affordable health care to Americans.

There weren't any widely-held companies out with their latest earnings results this morning, so corporate headlines were dominated by news that Cadbury PLC (CBY 51.88, +14.42) refused a $16.7 billion merger offer from Dow component Kraft (KFT 26.45, -1.65). Investors responded by handing shares of CBY one of their best single-session percentage advances on record, while sending KFT markedly lower.DJ30 +56.07 NASDAQ +18.99 NQ100 +1.0% R2K +1.0% SP400 +1.3% SP500 +8.99 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1606/2.03 bln/1017 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 2280/1.32 bln/746