The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 23.29 points, or 0.08 percent, to 29,397.63. The S&P 500 increased 27.13 points, or 0.77 percent, to 3,572.66. The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 232.57 points, or 2.01 percent, to 11,786.43.
Six of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors advanced, with technology closing up 2.41 percent, outpacing the rest. Materials slipped 1.37 percent, the worst-performing group.
U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded mostly higher, with six of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on an upbeat note.
The tech sector has suffered massive losses over the past two sessions, as promising vaccine news prompted traders to rotate out of the high-flying tech names and stay-at-home beneficiaries toward more cyclical parts of the market that have lagged behind during the pandemic.
Monday's announcement that Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate has a more than 90 percent efficacy rate was a major catalyst to markets, Kevin Matras, analyst at Zacks Investment Research, said in a note Wednesday.
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