S&P 500 heads for first gain in 5 days as tech rises

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks perked higher on Thursday, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index was on track for its first increase in five days. Industrial and technology companies paced the gains.

Crude oil and energy stocks clawed back some of their sharp losses from Wednesday. So did Asian stock markets.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 8 points, or 0.3 percent, at 2,637, as of noon Eastern time. If the S&P 500 remains higher at the end of the day, it would snap the longest losing streak for the index since March. Losses over that span have been modest, though, with the index never dropping more than 0.4 percent in a day in that stretch.

The Dow Jones industrials average rose 86, or 0.