TECH STOCKS: Cautious Investors Push Markets Slightly HigherTECH STOCKS: Cautious Investors Push Markets Slightly Higher

While trading volume for the day was as light as it was volatile, stocks in the major indexes managed to close slightly higher Tuesday. Analysts say investors, buoyed by positive economic news in recent days, are cautiously awaiting the upcoming corporate earnings season.

"I think we're going to have a choppy market here for a while as the earnings come out," Barry Berman, head trader for Robert W. Baird & Co., told The Associated Press. "But the tone of the market is still optimistic. ... We could see a continuation of the positive trend."

Our information 100 led the way, rising 1.6%, or 4.62 points, to close at 297.05. The Nasdaq composite index rose 14.39 points, or 0.8%, to close at 1,907.85. The Dow industrials rose 59.63 points, or 0.6%, to close at 9,654.61. And the S&P 500 also rose slightly to end at 1,039.25, after gaining 4.90 points, or 0.5%.

The Nasdaq-100 tracking stock rose 21 cents, or 0.6%, to $34.65 on lower-than-average volume of more than 77.7 million shares.