NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks extended gains in afternoon trading on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 at its highest level since early May as corporate profits from bellwethers including Intel and Honeywell continued to defy the downward trend of economic growth.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 113.94 points, or 0.89 percent, to 12,919.48. The S&P 500 Index <.SPX> gained 11.31 points, or 0.83 percent, to 1,374.98. The Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 39.64 points, or 1.36 percent, to 2,949.68.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos, editing by Dave Zimmerman)
