Tech, health care companies help lift US stocks higher
U.S. stocks moved broadly higher in afternoon trading Wednesday as the market bounced back from modest losses a day earlier. Technology and health care companies accounted for much of the gains. Industrial stocks also rose following encouraging data on industrial production. Some big banks fell after reporting hefty quarterly losses. The Dow Jones industrial average was again trading above 26,000 points.
KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 20 points, or 0.7 percent, to 2,796 as of 1:38 p.m. Eastern Time. The Dow gained 235 points, or 0.9 percent, to 26,028. The Nasdaq added 51 points, or 0.7 percent, to 7,275. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 9 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,582.