Wall Street ends higher on recovery hopes, Nasdaq hits another record

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 131.14 points, or 0.5%, to 26,156.1, the S&P 500 gained 13.43 points, or 0.43%, to 3,131.29 and the Nasdaq Composite added 74.89 points, or 0.74%, to 10,131.37. Seven of the 11 major sub-indexes were higher with consumer discretionary and technology posting the steepest gains. Industrials ended the day unchanged.

NEW YORK: Wall Street's three major indexes closed higher on Tuesday as improving economic data and the prospect of more stimulus bolstered hopes of a swift recovery, while a jump in technology shares powered the Nasdaq to another record high.

While all the indexes pared gains late in the session to close below their peaks for the day, the Nasdaq managed to register its fifth record high close this month. Apple Inc provided the biggest boost followed by Amazon.com and Microsoft.