dow gains 30 points. Cnn money.

30 points on the Dow is not unusual. There are several factors that I attribute this to:

1) Volume is very light. Light volume always favors gains.
2) Once again, The dollar is down. This almost always favors an opposite reaction in the market.
3) The VIX is down. This is the "fear factor" derivative. It tells us that the market is comfortable with the rally we are in. VIX is the Volatility Index.
4) We are nearing the end of Options Expirations week. This is the week with the third friday of the month. Usually, companies manipulate the price of their own stock in order to cause "puts" or "calls" to expire worthless. More often than not, they want to keep their prices high.