(CNBC) U.S. stocks traded in a wide range Thursday, trying to snap a two-day losing streak, as interest rates slipped from multiyear highs seen in the previous session.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 172 points after gaining more than 350 points earlier in the session, with United Technologies as the best-performing stock in the index. The S&P 500 briefly dipped lower in the final hour of trading, before holding 0.1 percent higher. The Nasdaq composite traded 0.1 percent lower. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose as much as 1.1 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.
"On balance, equities are in a 'muddle-along' zone," said Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. "The macro economic environment still looks favorable," but "we need another round of economic releases to get a better sense of how much inflation is in the marketplace."