Investing.com -- U.S. equity markets rallied on Tuesday on a choppy day of trading, amid a surge in energy, retail and small-cap stocks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ Composite index ticked up extending gains from Monday's session, while the S&P 500 Composite index also closed higher on a bullish day for the major indices. The Dow rose 89.39 or 0.50% to 17,918.15, continuing its push back to 18,000. At one point in late-August, the Dow slumped below 15,700, after China rattled global markets with its shocking decision to devalue the yuan. Since then, however, the Dow has steadily rebounded. On Tuesday, the Dow reached its highest level since late-July. The Dow has not moved above 18,000 since July 20.
The NASDAQ also continued its hot streak on Tuesday. Spurred by a gain among several semiconductor stocks, the NASDAQ jumped 17.98 or 0.35% to close at 5,145.13. At one point on Tuesday, the NASDAQ reached a session-high of 5,163.47 to post a record intraday high for the second consecutive session.
The S&P 500, meanwhile, gained 5.74 or 0.27% to 2,109.79, as six of 10 sectors closed in the green. Stocks in the Energy, Basic Materials and Technology sectors led, while stocks in the Health Care, Industrials, Telecommunications and Consumer Goods industries lagged. Energy stocks soared more than 2.5% on the session.
The top performer on the Dow was Visa Inc (N:V), which gained 2.77 or 3.68% to 77.99. It came one day after the global credit card company reacquired its Visa Europe subsidiary for a reported €21.2 billion or $23.4 billion. The move is aimed at helping Visa become more competitive with rivals Mastercard and Chase outside of the U.S. The worst performer was UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (N:UNH), which fell 1.07 or 0.90% to close at 117.62.
The biggest gainer on the NASDAQ was Keurig Green Mountain Inc (O:GMCR), which jumped 3.20 or 6.20% to 54.81 after analysts at Canaccord Genuity reaffirmed the coffee maker's hold rating. Shares in Keurig Green Mountain (O:GMCR) are still down by more than 65% this year. The worst performer was VimpelCom (O:VIP), which fell 0.18 or 4.90% to 3.49. VimpelCom (O:VIP) closed as the worst performer on the NASDAQ for the second consecutive session.
The top performer on the S&P 500 was Pioneer Natural Resources Company (N:PXD), which surged 9.15 or 6.60% to 147.75 after posting stronger than expected third quarter earnings. Over the three-month period, Pioneer Natural Resources produced 211,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, up 7% on a year-over-year basis. The worst performer was Fidelity National Information Svcs (N:FIS), which plummeted 8.95 or 12.18% to 64.55, after its quarterly revenue of $1.58 billion missed analysts' expectations by roughly $60 million.
On the New York Stock Exchange, advancing issues outnumbered declining ones by a 1,807-1,290 margin.