Tech Stocks Gain in Day of Mixed Trading

Technology companies notched solid gains on Wall Street, but most other sectors finished lower in a mixed day of trading, the AP reports. Apple added 1.7% Tuesday, while software company Red Hat jumped 4.1% after reporting a solid quarter. The tech sector, still the best-performing part of the market this year, was clawing back some of the ground it lost a day earlier. Eight of the 11 sectors in the S&P 500 index fell, led by phone companies and materials makers. The Standard & Poor's 500 edged up a fraction of a point to 2,496. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 11 points, less than 0.1%, to 22,284. The Nasdaq composite rose 9 points, or 0.2%, to 6,380. Small-company stocks did better than the rest of the market.. (Read more stock market stories.)