NEW YORK, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher after the S&P 500 flirted with bear market level, thanks to the rally in the last 30 minutes of trading, after a report said European leaders were discussing bank aid plans.
The blue-chip Dow rose more than 1.4 percent at the close. The broader S&P 500 surged over 2.2 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rallied nearly 3 percent.