Major Averages Close In Positive Territory

(RTTNews) - Stocks moved mostly higher over the course of the trading day on Wednesday, partly offsetting the weakness that was seen in the previous session. The tech-heavy Nasdaq showed a notable upward move, reaching its best closing level since 2000.

Internet stocks showed a strong move to the upside on the day, driving the Dow Jones Internet Index up by 1.1 percent. With the gain, the index reached its best closing level in well over two months.

Facebook (FB) and Google (GOOG) turned in two of the internet sector's best performances, advancing by 2.6 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.

Significant strength was also visible among healthcare provider stocks, as reflected by the 1 percent gain posted by the Dow Jones Health Care Index. The gain lifted the index to a record closing high.

Pharmaceutical, natural gas, and airline stocks also saw notable strength on the day, while most of the other major sectors showed more modest moves to the upside.

The major averages all ended the day in positive territory. The Dow rose 49.38 points or 0.3 percent to 16,867.51, the Nasdaq advanced 29.40 points or 0.7 percent to 4,379.76 and the S&P 500 climbed 9.55 points or 0.5 percent to 1,959.53.