(For a live blog on the U.S. stock market, click LIVE/ or
type LIVE/ in a news window.)
* TJX Cos jumps after quarterly same-store sales beat
* Walt Disney dips as CEO Robert Iger steps down
* U.S. health officials warn of pandemic
* Trump to speak on coronavirus at 6 p.m. ET
* Indexes up: Dow 1.49%, S&P 1.51%, Nasdaq 1.86%
(Adds comment, details; updates prices)
By Medha Singh
Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks attempted a recovery on
Wednesday after a rocky start to the week that shaved off more
than 6% from the main indexes on growth concerns stemming from a
global spread of the coronavirus.
Marquee companies including Apple Inc AAPL.O , Microsoft
Corp MSFT.O and Amazon.com AMZN.O were some of the biggest
boosts to the S&P 500 .SPX , rising between 1.6% and 3%.
Ten of the 11 major S&P sectors were in the black, with
technology .SPLRCT leading the charge with a 2.4% gain. The
energy .SPNY sector dipped 0.2%.
"There has been pressure on some high quality names,
particularly in sectors that might be hit the hardest by the
wider spread of coronoavirus," Charlie Ripley, senior investment
strategist, adding that investors are looking for some bargains.
Still, caution prevailed as the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention urged Americans to prepare for the virus
to spread in the United States. President Donald Trump said he
would hold a news conference on the coronavirus at 6 p.m. ET
(2300 GMT).
The extent of economic hit remained unclear as the virus
spread further in South Korea and Italy, while Greece and Brazil
reported their first cases of the virus on Wednesday.
"There could certainly be more volatility in store and
markets could again test their selloff low," Rick Swope, vice
president of investor education at E*TRADE Financial Corp.
The main indexes have declined in the past four sessions and
the Dow .DJI has lost more than 1,900 points in the last two
days.
The S&P 500 .SPX , which fell 7.8% from its all-time high,
had lost about $1.74 trillion in market capitalization in the
last two sessions, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices senior
analyst Howard Silverblatt.
At 11:40 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
was up 404.82 points, or 1.49%, at 27,486.18 and the S&P 500
.SPX was up 47.29 points, or 1.51%, at 3,175.50. The Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC was up 166.56 points, or 1.86%, at 9,132.18.
Among stocks, TJX Cos Inc TJX.N jumped 8.3% as the
offprice retailer beat quarterly same-store sales estimates.
Walt Disney Co DIS.N slipped 0.9% on news that Robert Iger
will step down as chief executive officer, handing the reins to
Disney Parks head Bob Chapek. Beyond Meat Inc BYND.O rose 6.2% as Starbucks Corp
SBUX.O said its Canadian stores would start selling its
plant-based breakfast sandwich next week. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.38-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and by a 2.25-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded two new 52-week highs and 18 new
lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 17 new highs and 98 new lows.