Stocks Stop the Bleeding

Updated from 4:08 p.m. EST

Stocks in New York endured a back-and-forth morning Wednesday before enough bargain hunters emerged to push the market into positive territory following the prior session's mammoth selloff.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 52.39 points, or 0.43%, to 12,268.63, but finished below its highest level of the day.

At its worst, the Dow was lower by 28 points and, at its best, the blue-chip index was better by more than 130 points. Out of 30 components, 17 finished higher. Procter & Gamble (PG Quote) was the best performer, up 3.7%. ...