U.S. stocks end higher Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite rising sharply

All three major U.S. stock benchmarks closed higher Thursday, with the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite leading the way up amid economic data showing signs of slowing growth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose almost 200 points to close around 0.6% higher, while the S&P 500 climbed about 1% and the Nasdaq saw a sharp rise of around 1.6%, according to preliminary FactSet data. Activity in the private sector slowed sharply in June, according to a pair of surveys on services and manufacturing in the U.S.

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