NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to a record Wednesday after breaking out of their three-day lull.

The S&P 500 climbed 44.91 points, or 0.9%, to 5,248.49. It was the first gain for the index since setting its last all-time high on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 477.75, or 1.2%, to 39,760.08, and the Nasdaq composite gained 83.82, or 0.5%, to 16,399.52. Both finished a bit shy of their own records.

Merck climbed 5% after federal regulators approved its treatment for adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare disease where blood vessels in the lungs thicken and narrow...