Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
* The move into positive territory for the three major U.S. indexes was a marked turnaround from earlier in the session, when stocks fell around 1 percent after a sharp drop in Chinese equities sparked fears that stock prices were not justified by economic fundamentals.
* The Dow Jones industrial average gained 53.81 points, or 0.58 percent, to 9,271.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 5.30 points, or 0.54 percent, to 994.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 7.89 points, or 0.40 percent, to 1,963.81.
