WE CAME HERE FOR THIS? Stocks traded in a narrow range all day and finished mixed and nearly unchanged. Only the Nasdaq moved more than a tenth of a percent.

SO FAR: Stocks are off to a strong start this year. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is up 5.4 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average is up 4 percent.

WHAT’S NEXT: Friday job numbers. The government is due to release the number of jobs created last month and the unemployment rate. In December, the country added 200,000 jobs, and the rate was 8.5 percent.

Investors coasted Thursday while they waited for a critical government report on jobs. Stocks were mostly flat, a pause from their strong start this year, and bonds didn’t move much, either.

The Labor Department said the four-week average of unemployment claims fell to 375,750, the lowest since June 2008 and enough to suggest a steadily improving job market.

The more important numbers come Friday, when the government releases the number of jobs created in January and the unemployment rate. In December, the country added 200,000 jobs, and the rate was 8.5 percent.

A day ahead of the report, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 10 points at 12,707. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose one point to 1,325. The Nasdaq composite rose 10 points to 2,858.

The Dow traded in a narrow range — between a gain of 25 points and a loss of 40.

Bond traders stayed on the sidelines, too. The price of the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose 6.2 cents for every $100 invested, and the yield inched down to 1.82 percent from 1.83 percent Wednesday.

Most industries in the stock market rose, albeit slightly. A 0.6 percent gain was all it took to make energy stocks the biggest-gaining category in the S&P.

U.S. mining stocks rose after British mining company Xstrata PLC confirmed it is in merger discussions with commodities trader Glencore International PLC. In the U.S., Newmont Mining Corp. rose 1.5 percent, Alcoa was up 2 percent, and iron ore and coal miner Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. rose 1 percent.

The deal is a signal to investors that mining companies are trading at low prices compared with the commodities they mine, said Nathan Rowader, director of investments at Forward Management in San Francisco.

Health care stocks fell almost 1 percent. Cigna dropped 4 percent after its earnings fell short of expectations as it absorbed higher corporate and medical costs. Pfizer fell 1.1 percent after recalling birth-control pills.

Retailers were a patchwork of rising and falling stock, reflecting their patchwork of January sales results. Costco and Target came in better than expected. Macy’s and Dillard’s fell short. Costco rose 2.5 percent, and Target rose 0.6 percent.

Gap rose 10 percent after revenue at its high-end Banana Republic stores rose 6 percent.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. fell 11 percent to a one-year low after it said higher markdowns and cotton costs mean its adjusted fourth-quarter profit and revenue will be less than analysts had expected.

Last year, investors were so worried about a financial disaster in Europe that U.S. companies with strong earnings have been undervalued, said Tim Courtney, chief investment officer of Burns Advisory Group in Oklahoma City.

Now, he said, stock prices are catching up. The S&P is up 5.4 percent this year, the Dow 4 percent.

“Right now the market is going up just on the absence of bad news, on the absence of that worst-case scenario materializing,” he said.

Stocks in Europe closed nearly flat or up slightly. Britain’s FTSE 100 index rose 0.1 percent. Germany’s DAX was 0.6 percent higher, and the CAC-40 in France rose 0.3 percent.

The euro was also subdued after recent gains, trading slightly lower at $1.315.

In other corporate news:

• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc., which makes Keurig cup coffee brewers, rose a hot 22 percent after it said first-quarter revenue more than doubled, margins tripled, and net income rose more than 40-fold.

• MasterCard rose almost 6 percent after adjusted profits beat Wall Street expectations.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks seesawed in a tight range on Thursday, with winners and losers taking their cues from earnings reports, while a drop in jobless claims continued to point to a slowly healing labor market.

Healthcare shares were among the losers, with underwhelming quarterly reports from drugmaker Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N), insurer Cigna Corp (CI.N) and medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp (BSX.N). Merck fell 1.3 percent to $38.14, Cigna dropped 5.7 percent to $43.10 and Boston Scientific was off 7 percent to $5.67.

The S&P healthcare sector (.GSPA) fell nearly 1 percent and was the largest weight on the benchmark S&P 500 index.

Technology shares continued to outperform the broader market, with Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) hitting its highest level in 12 years after first-quarter profit trounced estimates. Shares gained 2.1 percent to $60.84 after hitting a high of $61.95.

MasterCard Inc (MA.N) rose near 5.6 percent to $377.84 after the payment processor beat analysts' estimates for the seventh straight quarter.

Investor sentiment was helped as the economy, on an uptrend of late, got another boost as new claims for jobless benefits dropped more than expected in the latest week. The government will report monthly payrolls data Friday.

"Investors are focusing on what they should, which is the improving backdrop in the U.S. economy," said Bruce Zaro, chief technical strategist, Delta Global Asset Management in Boston.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 33.45 points, or 0.26 percent, at 12,683.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was down 1.07 points, or 0.08 percent, at 1,323.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 4.50 points, or 0.16 percent, at 2,852.77.

Zaro expects the current uptrend for the S&P 500 to take it to 1,370 in the first half of the year, but the index could pull back before then at around the 1,330 level.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O) soared 22.1 percent to $65.45 a day after its first-quarter earnings far exceeded expectations.

The third warmest January in 50 years hurt same-store sales at department stores and apparel retailers. But discounters such as Target and Costco as well as high-end stores beat estimates.

Target Corp (TGT.N) rose 1 percent to $51.94 while Abercrombie & Fitch Co (ANF.N) slumped 11.6 percent to $41.39, and Costco Wholesale Corp (COST.O) was up 2.2 percent at $85.02.

Facebook could raise as much as $10 billion in the biggest-ever Internet initial public offering, according to a filing Wednesday. In 2011, Facebook said net income rose 65 percent to $1 billion on revenue of $3.71 billion.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

SHANGHAI – Asian stocks mixed Wednesday, as a modest improvement in manufacturing data from China offered reassurance over its economic slowdown.

Benchmark oil hovered below $99 per barrel while the dollar rose against the euro and was steady against the yen.

A better-than-expected manufacturing index for January, issued by a government federation, fueled an early rally in most markets across the region. But much of the advance was lost after the later release of a competing, seasonally adjusted survey by HSBC that indicated conditions were still deteriorating.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 edged up less than 0.1 percent to close at 8,809.79. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.4 percent to 20,314.21 while Seoul’s Kospi added 0.2 percent to 1,959.24.

By afternoon, shares in mainland China had retreated back into negative territory, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shedding 1.2 percent to 2,265.49.

An unexpected drop in U.S. consumer confidence dragged stocks down overnight on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones industrial average lost 20.81 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,632.91. The S&P slipped 0.60 point to 1,312.41 while the Nasdaq composite index rose 1.90 points to close at 2,813.84.

Overall, though, U.S. shares had their best start in 15 years, thanks to a modest improvement in the economy. Sentiment was further buoyed by hopes of progress in Europe after leaders there agreed on the broad outlines of a deal to tie the countries that use the euro closer together and on hopes that Greece is close to a debt-reduction deal with private creditors.

Yet, the mixed signals from China compounded uncertainties still weighing on investor confidence. That is true especially for Australia, whose economy depends heavily on Chinese demand for its coal and other commodities.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.9 percent to 4,225.70 while India’s Sensex dropped 0.7 percent to 17,079.29.

Singapore shares also were lower, while Taiwan, Indonesia and New Zealand gained ground.

Benchmark oil for March delivery gained 15 cents to $98.63 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 30 cents to end at $98.48 per barrel in New York on Tuesday.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3038 from $1.3084 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar was nearly unchanged at 76.21 yen.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, the Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and the Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.6 percent.

The U.S. Federal Reserve looks set to keep monetary policy on hold on Wednesday, even as it releases forecasts expected to show interest rates will be near zero for at least two more years.

Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) is offering $5.7 billion in cash to buy U.S. gene sequencing company Illumina Inc (ILMN.O) in a hostile takeover bid that marks a major play by the Swiss drugmaker into the gene technology field.

Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) quarterly results blew past Wall Street's expectations after U.S. consumers snapped up near-unprecedented numbers of iPhones and iPads, sending its shares up 8 percent into record territory. Apple shares listed in Frankfurt (AAPL.F) rose 6.6 percent.

U.S. President Barack Obama used his last State of the Union speech before the November election to paint himself as the champion of the middle class, by demanding higher taxes for millionaires and tight reins on Wall Street.

The Mortgage Bankers Association releases at 7 a.m. ET Weekly Mortgage Market Index for the week ended January 20, versus the prior week. The mortgage market index read 816.1 and the refinancing index was 4,500.6 in the previous week.

National Association of Realtors issues at 10 a.m. ET Pending Home Sales for December. Economists expect a 1.0 percent fall compared with a 7.3 percent rise in the previous month.

Nordic budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle (NWC.OL) ordered 222 narrow-body aircraft worth a total of $21.5 billion at list prices on Wednesday. It split its order between Boeing Corp (BA.N) and Airbus, part of EADS (EAD.PA).

U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) resumed work on Wednesday at its $15.7 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Papua New Guinea, a spokeswoman said, a day after a landslide swept through two nearby villages killing at least four people.

United Technologies (UTX.N) announces results, which Wall Street expects will show profit rose to $1.46 per share from $1.31 per share. Textron (TXT.L) , the world's top maker of corporate aircraft, is expected to post a 3 percent rise in earnings, factoring out one-time items.

Boeing (BA.N), the world's largest aerospace and defense company, is set to report a sharp decline in fourth-quarter profit. Other companies announcing results include Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N), Automatic Data Processing (ADP.O) and Xerox (XRX.N).

European shares (.FTEU3) fell 0.6 percent on Wednesday, weighed by the tech sector after a sharp post-results decline for mobile telecoms network gear maker Ericsson (ERICb.ST).

U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday, ending a five-day rally for the S&P 500 (.SPX), as talks to resolve Greece's debt crisis hit a snag and earnings from a number of blue-chips disappointed investors.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) finished down 33.07 points, or 0.26 percent, at 12,675.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 1.37 points, or 0.10 percent, at 1,314.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) rose 2.47 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,786.64.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Erica Billingham)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks edged lower on Tuesday, ending a five-day rally for the S&P 500, as talks to resolve Greece's debt crisis hit a snag and earnings from a number of blue chips disappointed investors.

Greece moved closer to the possibility of a chaotic default as talks to restructure the country's debt stalled. However, the U.S. market has been less sensitive to the Greek drama of late.

"The situation in Greece has raised concerns and the market has pulled back, but I don't think it is impacting the market as much (as before)," said Doug Cote, the chief market strategist at ING Investment Management.

Corporate earnings did not inspire buying. Among the day's earnings disappointments were Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) and Travelers Cos Inc (TRV.N), which were the biggest drags on the Dow.

Apple shares jumped 9 percent to $457.12 in post-session trading after the electronics company reported results that blew past Wall Street's estimates, primarily on a huge jump in sales of iPhones and iPads.

Apple's announcement lifted Nasdaq 100 index futures 25.75 points, or around 1.1 percent, late on Tuesday, but the news may not be enough to pull stocks higher on Wednesday.

"We've had a big move in the last few weeks. It will definitely help keep the market at these levels, but whether it will propel the market higher is in question," said Stephen Massocca, managing director at Wedbush Morgan in San Francisco.

According to Thomson Reuters data, 20 percent of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings, with 58 percent topping Wall Street expectations, down from levels seen before at this point in the earnings season. The average beat rate has been 70 percent.

This week is one of the busiest in the quarterly earnings season, with 117 S&P 500 companies due to report.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) finished down 33.07 points, or 0.26 percent, at 12,675.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was down 1.37 points, or 0.10 percent, at 1,314.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) rose 2.47 points, or 0.09 percent, at 2,786.64.

Earlier on Tuesday, Travelers reported a smaller-than-estimated profit as it released less money from its reserves than a year earlier, but it also announced its biggest rate increases in eight years. The stock fell 3.8 percent to $58, but analysts had expected the drop and called it a buying opportunity.

Verizon's profit missed estimates by a penny as its wireless business was hit by the high costs of sales of advanced phones, such as the Apple Inc (AAPL.O) iPhone.

McDonald's reported stronger-than-expected December sales, but its shares fell on investor concerns its profit may have beat expectations only because of income unrelated to operations.

McDonald's fell 2.2 percent to $98.77, and Verizon shed 1.6 percent to $37.79.

The Federal Open Market Committee began a two-day meeting on Tuesday, at the end of which policymakers will start a new practice of announcing their interest rate projections. The Fed hopes the projections, to be released on Wednesday, will give markets and the public greater clarity about its decision-making.

U.S. President Barack Obama is set to deliver his State of the Union address at 9 p.m. (0200 GMT on Wednesday) and is expected to announce initiatives on jobs, taxes and energy.

About 6.25 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq on Tuesday, compared with this year's average of about 6.6 billion shares.

(Reporting By Angela Moon; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

NEW YORK – The S&P 500 index eked out a tiny gain Monday while traders kept an eye on talks in Europe to cut Greece’s crushing debt load and prevent a global financial crisis. Other indexes ended slightly lower.

The S&P added 0.62 of a point to close at 1,316 on Monday. The broad market measure has now closed higher on 12 of 14 days this year.

European stocks and the euro rose after the continent’s finance ministers put pressure on banks that hold Greek government bonds to accept new ones that are worth half as much and carry a lower interest rate.

The Greek stock market gained 5 percent, and indexes in Germany, France, Spain and Britain all advanced less than 1 percent. The euro rose more than a penny to $1.302, close to its highest level against the dollar this year.

Negotiators are trying to prevent a disorderly default by Greece in March. The worst-case scenarios include a credit crisis similar to what happened after the Lehman Brothers investment bank fell in 2008.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 11.66 points to 12,708.82. That’s a loss of 0.1 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 2.53 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,784.17.

Stocks are still off to a strong start in 2012. Investors’ biggest fears have slowly faded. Stronger than expected job growth in the U.S. and falling borrowing costs for European governments have helped send the S&P 500 index up 4.6 percent for the year.

Maybe the biggest boon to markets this year is the lack of scary headlines, said Jeff Lancaster, a principal at the investment firm Bingham, Osborn & Scarborough.

“When everybody is feeling distressed, anxious and worried as they were at the end of last year, it doesn’t take a lot of good news for the mood to change,” he said. “It just takes a diminishing quantity of bad news.”

Many energy stocks jumped along with prices for natural gas and crude oil. Chesapeake Energy Corp., the No. 2 producer of natural gas in the United States, gained 6 percent after it said it plans to cut production, a response to the recent slump in natural gas prices.

Natural gas futures rose 7.9 percent to $2.60 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gas futures were trading above $4 just six months ago.

Stocks of other gas producers shot higher. Southwestern Energy Co. jumped 10 percent, the biggest gain in the S&P 500. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. was close behind, rising 6.5 percent.

Apache Corp., a producer of oil and gas, rose 1.6 percent after saying said it plans to buy Cordillera Energy Partners in a $2.85 billion deal. It’s the largest merger announced in the U.S. this year.

The price of oil rose 1.3 percent to $99.58 per barrel. The European Union tightened sanctions against Iran by banning the purchase of Iranian oil. Iran threatened to block shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-sixth of the world’s oil exports.

Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry, sank 8.5 percent after its new chief executive said no drastic changes are needed. The company’s founders announced they were stepping down as co-CEOs late Sunday.

NEW YORK – Microsoft and IBM drove the Dow Jones industrial average up in Friday trading after the tech giants reported stronger earnings than analysts had expected.

But an earnings miss by Google caused its stock to plunge Friday, and other indexes were slightly lower.

The Dow rose 56 points to 12,680 as of 2:15 p.m. Eastern time. That’s a gain of 0.4 percent.

Microsoft said sales of Xbox games and Office software helped push revenue up in the last quarter of 2011. IBM credited better sales of software and services and raised its earnings outlook for the year. Microsoft rose 5 percent and IBM rose 4 percent.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 4 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,310. The Nasdaq composite fell 8, or 0.3 percent, to 2,780.

Plenty of things are going right, said Frank Fantozzi, CEO of Planned Financial Services, an independent wealth manager in Cleveland. Applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in nearly four years. Housing sales are steadily rising. And even though high-profile companies such as Google and JPMorgan Chase have posted disappointing earnings results in the past week, the bulk of companies are beating estimates, he said.

“Overall, we’re moving in the right direction and it’s bolstered the market,” Fantozzi said. “The S&P getting over 1,300 this week is a nice sign.

Google lost 8.2 percent after its earnings per share fell a dollar short of analysts’ estimates. The misfire stemmed from an 8 percent drop in prices that the Internet search giant charges advertisers for each click.

In another sign that investors were becoming more willing to take on risk, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.03 percent, the first time its been above 2 percent in two weeks. The yield, a widely used benchmark for corporate and consumer borrowing, has been mostly trading below 2 percent since early December as investors park money in relatively low-risk assets.

The National Association of Realtors said that home sales rose 5 percent in December, the third straight monthly increase.

Concerns about debt talks in Greece still hang over the market. Greece is in the middle of talks with creditors to reduce its debts and avoid a default. A deal is needed to help Greece avoid a default when a euro14.5 billion bond repayment comes due in March.

Among other companies in the news:

• Capital One Financial lost 6 percent. The bank and credit-card company’s earnings sank 41 percent as expenses for marketing, salaries and legal fees jumped compared with the year before.

• Schlumberger rose less than 1 percent. The oil-field services company’s quarterly profit surged 36 percent, helped by exploration work in the Middle East and Africa. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to 27.5 cents.

All three indexes are on track to end the week with gains. The Dow is up 2 percent and the S&P 500 1.7 percent.

Stocks have been on a slow and steady climb to start 2012. The S&P 500 has closed higher on 10 of 12 days and is up 4.2 percent for the year.

BANGKOK – Asian stock markets rose Friday amid signs that the U.S. economy was picking up steam, but European shares opened lower as nervous traders awaited results of crucial negotiations between debt-mired Greece and its lenders.

Benchmark oil hovered above $100 per barrel while the dollar rose against the euro and the yen.

European stocks fell in early trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.1 percent to 5,733.14 and Germany’s DAX was 0.3 percent lower at 6,396.62. France’s CAC-40 lost 0.5 percent to 3,306.20. Wall Street also appeared set to open lower, with Dow Jones industrial futures down 0.2 percent to 12,567 and S&P 500 futures shedding 0.3 percent to 1,306.50.

Critical negotiations were under way in Athens between the government and private creditors over a debt restructuring. Greece cannot afford to repay its debts and is trying to persuade its creditors to accept losses of at least 50 percent on billions of euros (dollars) in Greek bonds.

Failure to seal a deal would likely result in a financially disastrous default by Greece.

“For the moment, the market expects a deal to be made while downside risk still exists and any disappointment could end the week of rallies,” Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong said in an email.

Signs out of the U.S. on Thursday indicating the U.S. economic recovery was on track powered Asian shares higher earlier in the day.

On the last trading day before Chinese New Year holidays begin Monday, the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 1 percent to 2,319.12. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1.5 percent to close at 8,766.36. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.8 percent to 20,110.37 and South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.8 percent to 1,949.89.

Strong U.S. corporate earnings boosted investor risk tolerance. IBM Corp.’s fourth-quarter earnings beat Wall Street expectations, while Bank of America and Morgan Stanley both reported results that were better than analysts were expecting.

That helped lift shares in Japan’s major banks, including Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which jumped 5.1 percent. Mizuho Financial Group was up 5.5 percent and Nomura Holdings surged 5.2 percent.

Another positive sign for the U.S. economy was data that showed a strengthening job market. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008.

“The U.S. has better job figures and China’s central bank pumped money into the banking system to provide money to cash-starved enterprises so they can pay new year bonuses. I think after the Chinese New Year, be prepared for a correction,” said Francis Lun, managing director of Lyncean Holdings in Hong Kong.

Some Hong Kong-listed banks and insurers fell as investors sold shares to book profits ahead of the Lunar New Year, analysts said. The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China fell 1.1 percent. Ping An Insurance shed 0.8 percent.

Resources stocks advanced following strong gains in metals prices overnight.

Mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. rose 1.2 percent. Fortescue Metals Group, Australia’s third-biggest iron ore producer, gained 2.6 percent.

Benchmark crude for February delivery was down 4 cents at $100.35 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 20 cents to finish at $100.39 per barrel in New York on Thursday.

In currency trading, the euro fell to $1.2932 from $1.2936 late Thursday in New York. The dollar rose to 77.21 yen from 77.17 yen.

BANGKOK – Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday as uneven earnings reports from big U.S. banks dampened investor enthusiasm over successful bond issues in Europe.

Benchmark oil rose above $101 per barrel while the dollar fell against the euro and the yen.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.2 percent to 8,480.99 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.4 percent to 19,696.35. But South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2 percent to 1,888.71 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was flat at 4,215.30.

Benchmarks in Indonesia and Malaysia rose while mainland China and Singapore fell.

Financial shares came under pressure on weak quarterly earnings from some U.S. banks, including Citigroup Inc., which said its fourth-quarter income fell 11 percent due in part to lower investment banking income and an accounting charge.

Australia & New Zealand Banking Group fell 1.1 percent and Hong Kong-listed Agricultural Bank of China slid 1.9 percent.

European shares ended mostly higher Tuesday on the heels of short-term debt auctions by Spain, Greece and Europe’s bailout fund that drew strong investor demand, despite recent credit rating downgrades by Standard & Poor’s.

Many had feared the downgrades would prevent them from obtaining funds and worsen a sovereign debt crisis in Europe.

Other good news came from China, where the government said its economy slowed less dramatically in the fourth quarter than analysts had feared.

China is one of the biggest importers and slower growth could have global repercussions if it cuts demand for iron ore, industrial components and other goods from Australia, Brazil, Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

It would also mean less demand for U.S. and European capital goods for Chinese factories and construction sites, and smaller profits for U.S. and European companies that do business here. The luxury goods industry would also feel a significant pinch, since China is just about the only growth market for those.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.5 percent to close at 12,482.07. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained 0.4 percent to 1,293.67. The Nasdaq composite index added 0.6 percent to 2,728.08.

Benchmark crude for February delivery was up 49 cents to $101.20 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract finished at $100.71 per barrel in New York on Tuesday.

In currency trading, the euro rose to $1.2779 from $1.2722 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar fell to 76.68 yen from 76.82 yen.