NEW YORK — It took some work, but investors managed to turn Wall Street's best performance this year into a two-day advance.

Stocks ended with modest gains yesterday but the Dow Jones industrial average still recorded its first two-day climb since Feb. 5 and 6. The buying was far more subdued than on Tuesday when Citigroup Inc.'s upbeat assessment of its business sent investors rushing into the market, in part to cover bets that stocks would continue to slide.

The session's mood was more tentative than some investors might have hoped for, but given the market's dismal performance for much of 2009, just holding on to gains from the rally was a victory.