Blue-chip stocks rose in a market driven more by buying of specific names rather than sectoral themes or broad currents, all against the backdrop of the still undecided US presidential election.

Year to date, the Dow is down 8.7 per cent, the Nasdaq composite is off nearly 30 per cent, and the S&P 500 has dropped 8.3 per cent.

Earlier in the day, the Dow posted a gain of about 106 points, and the Nasdaq had traded up nearly 50 points.

Adding to investors' queasiness over the stock market's recent gyrations was news that the US trade deficit for September jumped to a record $34.26 billion, up from a revised deficit of $29.81 billion in August.

"Exports are down and imports are up," said Peter Cardillo, director of research at Westfalia Investments. "It says the economy is slowing and the reality is you're not exporting . . . and the manufacturing sector continues to slow."