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| - Wall Street stocks opened solidly higher Wednesday, extending a volatile week on hopes for a US economic rebound as retailers reported mixed results. About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 24,552.25, up 14 percent. The broad-based S&P 500 gained 1.6 percent to 2,968.15, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1.7 percent to 9,339.65. Stocks fell Tuesday, giving back some of Monday's rally that followed positive initial clinical results of a vaccine candidate for the coronavirus. The market has been weighing hopes for an economic rebound as more states reopen for business against a mounting pile of terrible indicators on joblessness, business investment and consumer confidence. Big-box retailer Target was flat early Wednesday after reporting an 11.3 percent jump in first-quarter revenues to $19.6 billion. However, the company suffered a 64.3 drop in profits to $284 million due to higher costs. The results demonstrated the juggling act essential stores are doing during the COVID-19 crisis, when they are paying bonuses to hourly workers and spending more on cleaning. Among other retailers reporting results, Lowe's rose 2.3 percent, while Urban Outfitters fell 4.8 percent. jmb/cs
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