Stock market today: Stocks pop, S&P marches toward 5,000

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 0.4%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) popped more than 0.7%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) was up more than 0.8%. The S&P 500 reached as high as 4,995 on Wednesday, nearing 5,000 for the first time ever. 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...