TECH STOCKS: Fast Start For The New MonthTECH STOCKS: Fast Start For The New Month

October started off with a bang on Wall Street, as the major indexes all jumped on Wednesday, thanks to traders going bargain-hunting following Tuesday's sell-off.

Tech stocks generally looked great. VA Software rose 6.8%, or 28 cents, to $4.40; Siebel Systems rose 6.6%, or 64 cents, to $10.40; Palm, which unveiled three handhelds, rose 6.4%, or $1.24, to $20.57; Intel rose 4%, or $1.11, to $28.63; PeopleSoft rose 3.7%, or 68 cents, to $18.95; Microsoft rose 2.6%, or 72 cents, to $28.52; and Dell rose 1.8%, or 60 cents, to $34.02.

For the day, the Nasdaq index rose 2.5%, or 45.31 points, to 1,832.25, and the information 100 rose 2.3%, or 6.21 points, to 277.64. The Nasdaq-100 tracking stock rose 2.3%, or 73 cents, to $33.15, on volume of 106.5 million shares.

Less tech-heavy indexes fared nearly as well. The Dow rose 2.1%, or 194.14 points, to 9,469.20, more than wiping out Tuesday's 105-point decline, and the S&P 500 rose 2.2%, or 22.25 points, to 1,018.22. Both posted their biggest one-day gains since June.