Just before the close on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 26.16 points to close at 6,773,06, having surrendered an early 20-point gain before slipping to a loss of 33 points in the early afternoon.
Broader indicators were mixed, but hovered near yesterday's closing levels. Measures dominated by blue-chip and larger company issues outperformed those sectors populated with technology shares, which bore the brunt of yesterday's late pullback.
The ratio of advancers and decliners was almost even on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,243 up, 1,242 down and 860 unchanged. NYSE volume totaled 519.38 million shares vs. 577.49 million yesterday.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock list, which slid 11 points yesterday, rose 1.87 to 780.15. The NYSE composite index rose 1.14 to 409.88. Both measures are dominated by larger companies.
The Nasdaq composite index fell 2.17 to 1,346.27, and the American Stock Exchange composite index fell 0.38 to 585.03.
The technology-laden Nasdaq composite index, which tumbled 25 points yesterday, was pressured again by another big drop in Intel Corp. The chipmaker's high-flying shares, which tumbled $7.25 yesterday after two brokerage downgrades, fell in active Nasdaq trading. Microsoft Corp. also gave back more of this year's impressive advance.