Markets End the Day Little Changed

US stocks shook off a shaky start and finished mostly higher as technology and industrial companies rose, the AP reports. Apple rose 1% Wednesday and Microsoft gained 1.3%. The modest gains came a day after the market had its biggest drop this year. Banks continued to fall along with bond yields, which forces interest rates on loans lower. Wells Fargo dropped 1%. Sears plunged 12% after the struggling retailer said it was doubtful it would be able to keep operating. The Standard & Poor's 500 index edged up 4 points, or 0.2%, to 2,348. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 6 points, less than 0.1%, to 20,661, dragged down by a big drop in Nike. The Nasdaq composite rose 27 points, or 0.5%, to 5,821. (More Dow Jones stories.)