Stock market today: Stocks pop with focus on earnings

News Snapshot:

US stocks rose on Wednesday as investors digested a fresh inflow of quarterly earnings, with the debate over timing of interest rate cuts still rumbling in the background. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 0.3%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) popped almost 0.5%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) was up more than 0.5%. The market took stock of performance this earnings season, with about two-thirds of S&P 500 company reports now in. Results have on average beaten Wall Street expectations, but some areas of weakness have emerged. In Wednesday's morning trade, Alibaba (BABA) shares retreated about 5% after the Chinese...