Dow, S&P 500 end up; earnings a boost

USA-STOCKS

The Dow and S&P 500 ended higher on Thursday after a round of positive corporate earnings announcements, but gains were curbed and the Nasdaq lost ground on a drop in the healthcare sector.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> rose 71.61 points, or 0.31 percent, to 23,401.07, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 3.26 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,560.41 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 7.12 points, or 0.11 percent, to 6,556.77.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Nick Zieminski)