Wall Street climbs amid choppy trading

US stocks rose on Tuesday as a solid profit from Caterpillar Inc overcame some uneasiness about the company’s outlook for the current quarter, but the gains were limited as some investors paused following the recent earnings-fueled run-up.

Trading was choppy, with the broader market initially charging higher after the open and the benchmark S&P 500 hitting a fresh 2009 intraday high as it extended its rebound from the 12-year closing low of early March.

A late push helped the Nasdaq eke out a small gain for its 10th straight winning session, the longest in 12 years. With Apple Inc, the maker of the iPhone, posting a stronger-than-expected profit after the bell and its stock rising 3.4 per cent in late trade, Wednesday could be another banner day for the Nasdaq.

Drugmaker Merck & Co, a Dow component, was among bellwethers with encouraging profit reports on Tuesday. But that profit optimism collided with a dose of reality as heavy equipment maker Caterpillar, another Dow component, warned the current quarter could be tough.

In addition, US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in testimony before a congressional panel that mounting joblessness, slumping home values and tight credit were likely to curb consumer spending — a major driver of US economic growth and corporate profits.

“People can get a bit euphoric with a couple of positive economic numbers and earnings... but you’re going to have to see how this pans out over the long term,” said Stephen Carl, principal and head of US equity trading at The Williams Capital Group in New York.

“I think you do a little profit-taking now, go through the summer and see how the rest of second-quarter earnings come out, and then kind of ascertain what’s going on after that.” The Dow Jones industrial average gained 67.79 points, or 0.77 per cent, to 8,915.94.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 3.45 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 954.58. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 6.91 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 1,916.20 — a closing high for the year. FROM MARCH LOW, S&P JUMPS 41 PCT The S&P 500 is now up 41 per cent from the 12-year closing low of March 9.

Shares of Caterpillar, up 7.8 per cent at US$39.46, provided the Dow’s top boost, but finished below the day’s high after the company said it expected the third quarter to be the year’s weakest and “extremely challenging.” Merck said second-quarter earnings fell, hurt by lower sales of its cholesterol drugs, but income from partnerships and a rebound in sales of asthma drug Singulair helped the drugmaker beat profit forecasts.

The stock, up 6.1 per cent at US$29.65, ranked as the Dow’s second-biggest advancer. The pharmaceuticals index was up 1.6 per cent. But shares of United Technologies Corp, a diversified manufacturer, fell 1.8 per cent to US$53.97 after it posted a 23 percent drop in profit and lowered its 2009 outlook.

On Nasdaq, shares of iPod and iPhone maker Apple Inc were the top drag, falling 0.9 per cent to US$151.60 ahead of its quarterly results. After the bell, Apple posted a quarterly profit that topped forecasts, driving its stock up more than 3 per cent to US$156.72.

CIT SINKS BELOW US$1 Troubled lender CIT Group Inc warned on Tuesday it could still file for bankruptcy if debt swap failed, one day after securing US$3 billion in emergency financing from its bondholders.

Its stock sank 21.6 per cent to end at 98 cents on the New York Stock Exchange. Also on the defensive were shares of Regions Financial Corp and Comerica Inc, two large US regional banking companies.

Both posted second-quarter losses as a deteriorating commercial property market caused bad loans to soar. Regions’ stock slid 15.4 per cent to US$3.42. Comerica’s stock lost 10.1 per cent to US$20.51.

In regulatory news, the US Treasury Department sent to Congress a draft bill that would curb the power of credit ratings agencies. Moody’s Corp shares dropped 6.3 per cent to US$26.80, and shares of McGraw-Hill Cos, which owns Standard & Poor’s, fell 1.5 per cent to US$32.55.

Volume was moderate on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1.21 billion shares changing hands, below last year’s estimated daily average of 1.49 billion. On the Nasdaq, about 2.28 billion shares traded, matching last year’s daily average. Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of about 8 to 7, while on the Nasdaq, the opposite trend prevailed: About five stocks fell on Nasdaq for every three that rose. - Reuters