US stocks shot higher on Tuesday, reversing a four-day losing streak, as earnings from companies like Johnson & Johnson and positive consumer confidence data pleased Wall Street. As investors bought stocks that had been beaten down since the start of the year, the Dow and the Nasdaq logged their biggest one-day percentage gains in nearly two months. Diversified health-care company Johnson & Johnson rose 3.6 percent to $63.70 after its fourth-quarter profit beat analysts' estimates.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 127 points, or 1.23 percent, at 10,496. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 9 points, or 0.79 percent, at 1,173. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 21 points, or 1.03 percent, at 2,029.