WALL STREET: U.S. stocks finished higher Thursday led by tech and bank stocks. The S&P 500 index gained 0.8 percent to 2,663.99. The Dow Jones industrial average added 1.2 percent to 24,483.05. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1 percent to 7,140.25. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks advanced 0.7 percent to 1,557.33.