After long losing streak, US stocks surge on solid earnings

Stocks soared Thursday as strong earnings reports from market bellwethers like Microsoft and Comcast gave a boost of confidence to investors shaken by the recent wave of selling.
The rally wiped out a large part of the market’s plunge from the day before, but stocks are still down sharply over the past three weeks.
Technology companies rallied after reports from Microsoft and others, while Twitter and Comcast led the way for internet and media companies. Ford’s results helped consume