The Dow recovered from a 60-point afternoon slide to gain 27.57 points and close at 6,611.05. The blue-chip barometer had shed nearly 300 points over the prior two sessions, its worst two-day point-drop since the crash of 1987.

Broader stock indicators ended mixed. The Nasdaq market suffered the most damage.

Blue-chip and large-company measures traced the moves of a meandering bond market, where the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond -- a key determinant of borrowing costs for companies and consumers -- ended near late yesterday's 7.09 percent.

Declining issues led advancers by a 7-to-6 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,169 up, 1,361 down and 805 unchanged. NYSE volume was 507.04 million shares vs. 555.78 million yesterday.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock list -- down more than 33 points over the prior two sessions and off nearly 6 more points this afternoon -- rebounded to a gain of 2.52, closing at 759.64. The NYSE's composite index rose 1.25 to 399.80.

The beleaguered Nasdaq composite index, down more than 12 percent from its all-time high and more than 5 percent for the year, fell 4.77 to 1,216.93. The American Stock Exchange composite index, which is also dominated by technology issues and smaller companies, fell 2.44 to 566.27.