U.S. stocks ended little higher on Tuesday, with the market finding enough stamina to extend its rally going into the Christmas holiday and pushing the Dow Jones to a 3-1/2-year closing high. U.S. markets will be closed on Friday.

After some steep selling, the drug sector bounced back from Pfizer’s woes related to its anti-arthritis Celebrex treatment, reportedly associated with risk of cardio-vascular problems.

The IT sector was cheered by Intel, which enjoyed a major brokerage’s recommendation upgrade to “overweight” as the chipmaker is seen experiencing solid demand.

OUTLOOK

Markets seem to be getting on early with the “January effect,” a popular market term describing how small-cap stocks tend to outperform heavyweights in the New Year.

THE NUMBERS

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 97 points, or 0.9 percent to 10,759, a 3-1/2-year closing high. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 23 points, or 1.1 percent, to 2,150.91, while the Nasdaq-100 index ended up 1.1 percent, to 1,609.