Markets Right Now: Stocks close higher on Wall Street
By Associated Press
Mar 13, 2019 3:12 PM CDT
Specialists John O'Hara, left, Dilip Patel, center, and Erica Fredrickson work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 13, 2019. U.S. stocks opened broadly higher on Wall Street Wednesday, powered by technology and health care companies, as the market pushes for its third straight...   (Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local):

4 p.m.

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, led by gains in health care and technology companies and giving the market its third straight gain.

Intel rose 1.5 percent Wednesday and UnitedHealth Group climbed 2.6 percent.

Boeing briefly dipped, but finished slightly higher, after the U.S. said it was joining other countries in grounding the company's 737 Max 8 airplane following a fatal crash of an Ethiopian airliner over the weekend.

The market has been rebounding this week following its worst week since December.

The S&P 500 rose 19 points, or 0.7 percent, to 2,810.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 148 points, or 0.6 percent, to 25,702. The Nasdaq rose 52 points, or 0.7 percent, to 7,643.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.61 percent.

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11:45 a.m.

Stocks are moving steadily higher in midday trading on Wall Street, putting the market on track for its third gain in a row.

Technology and health care companies powered much of the gains Wednesday. Microsoft added 1.1 percent and UnitedHealth Group climbed 2.6 percent.

Rite Aid jumped 3.5 percent after the company announced a management purge, which includes the CEO, and plans to cut 400 jobs.

The S&P 500 index rose 24 points, or 0.9 percent, to 2,815. Last week the index had its first weekly loss since January.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 167 points, or 0.7 percent, to 25,722. The Nasdaq rose 69 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,660.

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9:40 a.m.

Stocks are opening mostly higher on Wall Street, led by gains in health care and technology companies.

Google's parent company Alphabet added 1.3 percent in the first few minutes of trading Wednesday. CVS Health rose 2.2 percent.

Rite Aid surged 9 percent after the company announced a management purge, which includes the CEO, and plans to cut 400 full-time positions.

The S&P 500 index rose 12 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,803.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 100 points, or 0.4 percent, to 25,657. The Nasdaq rose 36 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,626.