Stocks closed mostly higher yesterday as Wall Street looked for bargains in the wreckage of technology shares that were battered in the previous session.
The market was also waiting for today's monthly US jobs data for clues to the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates.
The technology-laced Nasdaq composite jumped 97.47 points, or 2.5 per cent, to 3,960.57 after plummeting 129 points, or 3.23 per cent, on Wednesday when Salomon Smith Barney lowered its investment rating on semiconductor stocks. But yesterday analysts defended the semiconductor industry, saying that its growth cycle is not over yet.
The Dow Jones industrial average had a minor loss of 2.13 points, or 0.02 per cent, at 10,481.47 following a late session sell-off.
The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 10.44 points, or 0.72 per cent, at 1,456.67.
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