U.S. stocks rise, breaking a three-day slump

1/7/2014

NEW YORK — Stocks are higher on Wall Street, giving the Standard & Poor’s 500 index its first gain in the New Year.

The S&P 500’s three-day losing streak at the start of 2014 was the worst opening to a year since 2005.

In midday trading today the S&P 500 was up nine points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,836.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 106 points, or 0.6 percent, to 16,532. The Nasdaq composite was up 33 points, or 0.8 percent, at 4,147.

Health care and technology stocks rose the most.

Micron Technology rose 4 percent. The chip maker, one of the biggest gainers in the S&P 500 last year, reports earnings after the closing bell.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.95 percent.