NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks continued their recent advance on the first day of trading in 2009 as gains in large caps pushed main indexes up about 2 percent while energy and consumer discretionary were the leading sectors in the S&P 500.
* Microsoft
* The Dow <.DJI> gained 169.49 points, or 1.93 percent, at 8,945.88. The S&P 500 <.SPX> rose 17.75 points, or 1.97 percent, at 921.00. The Nasdaq <.IXIC> jumped 35.39 points, or 2.24 percent, at 1,612.42.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Tom Hals)