Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The major averages trade near their best levels of the session, with the S&P 500 and DJIA both up 0.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite is up 0.4%.

Breadth figures have improved throughout the session, as advancers now outpace decliners at a 3-to-2 ratio on the NYSE, while decliners still hold a slim advantage on the Nasdaq.

Eight sectors trade in positive territory for the day, and while this has been the case for most of the session, gains have widened this afternoon. The materials (+1.0%), industrials (+0.9%), consumer discretionary (+0.8%), and financials (+0.8%) sectors all post gains above 0.5%.

Performance has also improved across smaller-cap stocks. The S&P Mid Cap 400 now holds a 0.8% gain for the day, and the Russell 2000 is up 0.3% after spending the majority of the session in negative territory.