WASHINGTON: U.S. stock-market indexes closed higher on Wednesday with the financial and technology sectors driving the gains. The S&P 500 SPX, +0.41% closed 10.20 points, or 0.4%, to 2,507.04, a point below the record level set last week. Financials led the gains, closing 1.3% higher. Technology shares also rallied, gaining 1.1%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index COMP, +1.15% advanced 73.10 points, or 1.2%, to 6,453.26. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.25% gained 56.39 points, or 0.3%, to 22,340.71. The Russell 2000 index of small companies RUT, +1.92% closed at records, after rising nearly 2% to 1,484.65, its best one-day gain since November. Among the best performers, Micron Technology Inc. MU, +8.51% jumped 8.5%. Shares of Alphabet Inc, parent of Google, rose 2.4%.