US stocks start 2018 with gains as technology leads again
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks started the new year higher thanks in part to gains in technology and health care companies, some of the market's biggest winners from 2017. Retailers are also up. Energy stocks rose as natural gas prices jumped due to the cold weather that continues to grip much of the U.S.
KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 17 points, or 0.7 percent, to 2,691 as of 1:50 p.m. Eastern. The S&P 500 is once again trading around record highs after its 19 percent climb in 2017. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 54 points, or 0.2 percent, to 24,773. The Nasdaq composite jumped 88 points, or 1.3 percent, to 6,991. The Russell 2000 index, which consists of smaller company stocks, gained 11 points, or 0.