U.S. Stocks Fluctuate Before Closing Mostly Higher WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Stocks showed wild fluctuations over the course of the trading session on Thursday but managed to end the day mostly higher. With the upward move on the day, the S&P 500 ended the session at a new record closing high. The major averages all closed in positive territory, although the Nasdaq underperformed its counterparts. While the Nasdaq edged up 31.52 points or 0.2 percent to 14,082.55, the Dow climbed 239.98 points or 0.7 percent to 34,060.36 and the S&P 500 advanced 28.29 points or 0.7 percent to 4,211.47. The higher close on Wall Street came following the release of upbeat earnings news from tech giants like Apple (AAPL) and Facebook (FB).