High dividend stocks are quite popular among individual investors as seen in increasing sales of dividend-focus mutual funds.

Investors are worried about the outlook for commodity prices as the drops were sudden and large.

Oil prices may stay high this year and that raises concerns about the U.S. economy as they have a significant impact on the country's growth.

Technology shares got a boost from the solid U.S. outlook as they are sensitive to the global economy.

Signs of a pickup in U.S. consumer confidence helped make investors more confident about the economic outlook globally. Technology stocks are sensitive to the global economy, and they tend to benefit the most when growth is evident.

Semiconductor makers are bottoming out because of strong demand. Any good news is likely to drive shares higher.