Stocks rose on Wednesday, helped by a jump in shares of big manufacturers, including Caterpillar Inc and Boeing Co , while upbeat broker comments on Gilead Sciences Inc lifted biotech shares.

A rise in big-cap technology shares also underpinned the Nasdaq ahead of Apple Inc's quarterly results after the close.

Among other boosts were shares of Caterpillar after a broker upgrade on the stock. After the open the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 had dropped more than 1 percent

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 60.45 points, or 0.76 percent, at 8,030.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 6.61 points, or 0.78 percent, at 856.69. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 22.59 points, or 1.37 percent, at 1,666.44.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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