Stocks ended sharply higher for a second day on Wednesday, as investors bid up materials and energy shares on rising commodity prices and poured into beaten-down tech names after days of selling.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 131.24 points, or 1.21 percent, to end unofficially at 10,939.95. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 20.07 points, or 1.79 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,144.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 55.69 points, or 2.32 percent, to close unofficially at 2,460.51.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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