Techs Stand Tall in 'Relief Rally'

Stocks rallied despite a generally unfavorable climate today on positive news from Intel and Wal-Mart, though, with the exception of the Nasdaq, failed to hold on to session highs. The Nasdaq rose 29.58 to close at 2,351.70. The Dow, up triple-digits during the session, ended 54.72 higher at 12,581.98; the S&P 500 gained 6.06 to close at 1,360.55.

Analysts call today's uptick a "relief rally"—a limited bounce after successive days of bad news. Tech mainly benefited, as Intel was upgraded to “buy” from a “hold” rating by Bank of America. "The market is still in a repair pattern," one analyst said. "But we eventually need to see more positive news flow to really get the rally going." (More Walmart stories.)