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Stocks rose Wednesday following a losing session on Wall Street that pulled the indexes further from record levels.
The Dow Jones Industrials recovered in a big way, gaining 262.23 points to 39,544.56.
The S&P 500 index returned to the plus level 17.17 points to 5,220.75.
The NASDAQ poked 0.82 points to 16,316.32.
The two best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 include Cintas, up 8% on the back of better-than-expected earnings. Shares of Merck were up nearly 5% — hitting a new all-time high — after the Food and Drug Administration passed approval for Winrevair, the company’s life threatening lung condition treatment, for use among patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
As of Tuesday’s close, the S&P 500 has added 2.1% in the month and 9.1% in the quarter. The NASDAQ has climbed 1.4% in March and 8.7% over the three-month period, while the Dow has added 0.7% and 4.2% in the respective periods.
Later in the week, investors will watch for data on jobless claims, gross domestic product and consumer sentiment on Thursday. While the market is closed on Good Friday, attention will be on releases tied to personal income, consumer spending and the personal consumption expenditures expected in the morning.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury nicked up, lowering yields to 4.22% from Tuesday’s 4.23%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices dipped 25 cents to $81.37 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices picked up $12.60 to $2,211.80 U.S. an ounce.
