The Dow Jones industrial average rose 22.56 to 5,718.67, putting the blue-chip barometer within 60 points, or 1 percent of its all-time high.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by 13-to-9 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,417 up, 983 down and 784 unchanged. NYSE volume totaled 392.41 million shares vs. 347.23 million in the previous session.
The Dow and broader big-company measures bounced back in the last hour after surrendering early gains as the bond market weakened on this afternoon's disappointing auction of $10 billion in 10-year notes.
The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond - a key determinant of corporate and consumer borrowing costs - rose to 6.77 percent, up from 6.75 percent late yesterday.
Computer-related shares continued to rebound from July's slide, benefiting from improving assessments from brokerage houses. But the buying remained focused on bellwether names perceived to be less risky compared with the rest of the volatile technology sector.
Among broader markets, the NYSE composite index rose 0.78 to 354.43, and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index advanced 1.77 to 664.15.
The Nasdaq composite index shot up 12.24 to 1,141.11, and the American Stock Exchange's market value index rose 1.50 to 550.24.