U.S. stocks end choppy day of trading with modest gains; Dow's up 37 points

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)
U.S. stocks ended a choppy day of trading Thursday with modest gains as investors grasped at enough good news from Europe to keep stocks within a recent trading range.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 37.16 points, or 0.3%, to 11,541.78 by the close of stock trading.
The S&P 500 gained 5.51 points, or 0.5%, to 1,215.39.
The Nasdaq Composite down 0.2%, to 2,598.62.
News reports and official statements about the likelihood and game plan for a weekend summit of European leaders dominated much of the session's see-sawing trading.
Reflecting investors' uncertainty, the Dow has closed in a different direction than its prior session for 10 straight sessions.