(File photo)
[Getty/Kyodo]

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks ended higher after volatile trading on Tuesday that briefly sent the Dow below 20,000 for the first time in three years amid fears over the coronavirus pandemic.

The 30-issue Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1,048.86 points or 5.20 percent to end at 21,237.38. The tech-laden Nasdaq Composite Index finished at 7,334.78, up 430.19 points or 6.23 percent.

In early trading, selling took the upper hand and the Dow slipped below 20,000, with the benchmark stock average having shed nearly 10,000 points since its all-time high near 30,000 on Feb. 12.

After the Dow quickly recovered the 20,000 line, buying kicked in with some investors pinning their hopes on measures to blunt the economic impacts of the virus.

Global financial markets remain volatile as many investors are wary of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the world economy despite a series of additional monetary easing steps by central banks in major economies, as well as assurances by leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized countries to do their utmost to bolster the economy and address challenges posed by the virus outbreak.


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