Stocks close higher as companies report solid earnings

Stocks closed broadly higher Tuesday as Wall Street welcomed a batch of solid earnings reports from U.S. companies.

The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, recouping some of its loss from a day earlier. Technology, communication and financial stocks powered most of the gains. Treasury yields held steady.

Traders bid up shares in several companies that reported quarterly results that were better than analysts expected, including Procter & Gamble, Regions Financial, Albertsons and Travelers. Others didn’t fare as well. Netflix shares fell in after-hours trading after the streaming service reported third-quarter earnings and a tally of new subscribers that fell short of analysts’ expectations.

Shares in Google’s parent company rose despite news that the Justice Department sued the internet giant Tuesday, claiming Google has abused its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and harm consumers.

The S&P 500 rose 16.20 points (0.5%) to 3,443.12. The Dow Jones Industrial Average of big blue chips gained 113.37 (0.4%) to 28,308.79. The Nasdaq composite snapped a fiveday losing streak, rising 37.61 (0.3%) to 11,516.49. The Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks picked up 4.08 (0.3%) to 1,617.71.