Stocks closed solidly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, more than regaining the ground they had lost a day earlier.

The S&P 500 rose 1.8%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.6% and the Nasdaq rose 2.4%.

Small-company stocks rose even more than the rest of the market, a signal that investors were feeling a more optimistic about the economy.

Technology stocks did especially well. Prices for ultra-safe U.S. government bonds fell, sending yields higher. Energy prices also rose.

Nike, one of the 30 stocks in the Dow, jumped 6.1% after turning in strong quarterly results.