S&P 500, Nasdaq eke out small gains as jump in Treasury yields cools; European close slightly higher despite Covid concerns 
U.S. stocks pushed modestly higher on Wednesday as the recent jump in bond yields took a breather, allowing tech stocks to recover. 
The S&P 500 ticked up 0.23% to close at 4,701.46, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.44% to finish at 15,845.23. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost just 9.42 points and settled at 35,804.38. 
Computer hardware company HP’s shares got a 10% lift after reporting earnings that beat on the top and bottom lines and issuing higher first-quarter earnings guidance. 
The meetings from the latest Fed meeting, released on Wednesday, showed that the central bankers were ready to accelerate the timetable for slowing asset purchases and raising the benchmark funds rate if inflation remains high. 
The data was not uniformly positive, however, as durable goods orders showed an unexpected decline in October, according to the Census Bureau. Core PCE, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, was up 4.1% year over year for October, matching estimates. 
Earnings reports drove some of the biggest individual moves on Wednesday, as traditional retail stocks took a hit following poor quarterly results. Gap lost 24% and Nordstrom tumbled about 29%. Both companies reported earnings misses for the most recent quarter. 
Elsewhere, software stock Autodesk fell 15% after the company issued disappointing fourth-quarter guidance. 

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed up 0.1% after choppy trading earlier in the session. Telecoms shares rose 1.2% to lead the gains while autos stocks sank 1.5%. 
British genetics firm Genus plunged 10% after its trading update, which indicated that full-year profit before tax would likely be moderately lower than previous estimates. 
Source: CNBC, Investing.com