NEW YORK – The Dow Jones industrials climbed back above 10,000 Wednesday after investors had second thoughts about the heavy selling in the stock market during the last two weeks.

Stocks soared and the Dow rose 275 points after a modest gain Tuesday. It was the market’s first back-to-back advance since mid-June and the first close above psychological benchmark of 10,000 since June 28. But analysts warn that the buying doesn’t mean that investors are more optimistic. They said there wasn’t a single catalyst behind the move and that it looked like a case of investors scooping up stocks that had become cheaper after heavy losses. The Dow had fallen 7.3 percent over two weeks.

“It’s just more of a reaction to a little bit too much negativity,” said Marc Harris, co-head of global research for RBC Capital Markets in New York.

The Dow and broader indexes gained more than 2 percent. Trading volume was light, however, signaling that many skeptical investors were staying out of the market. Interest rates rose as some investors dumped Treasurys in favor of riskier assets like stocks.

Financial stocks rose on an upbeat profit forecast from State Street Corp. The stock gained 9.9 percent. Materials stocks rose after having logged steep drops over worries about the economy. Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. climbed 3.3 percent, while U.S. Steel rose 5.7 percent.

Wednesday’s big gain fit into a pattern of volatility that began in late April, when the Dow began tumbling from its 2010 high of 11,205.03. The Dow had fallen 13 percent since then, and the long slide included many triple-digit moves.

The protracted drop began on concerns that debt problems in Greece and other European countries would stifle the continent’s recovery and eventually the recovery in the U.S. But in the past few weeks, stocks have been tumbling on signs that the domestic rebound is slowing. Some traders were selling on fears that the country is headed back into recession.

Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago, said that what’s called a “double-dip” is unlikely, but the idea of one is scary because the government wouldn’t have many options to revive the economy a second time.

“When you’re driving around on a spare tire you’re on the lookout for nails,” he said.

There were no economic reports to influence the market on Wednesday. Traders were getting a series of reports Thursday likely to give some insight into consumers’ behavior. The government’s weekly report on jobless claims is due out, and retailers will report June sales results. Investors will be looking for any signs that layoffs are slowing, and that consumers are feeling better about spending.

The market’s other big concern is upcoming earnings reports. Investors want to know if companies are also seeing business slow, and if they’re changing their forecasts for the coming quarters.