U.S. stocks closed near the highs of the session Monday

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)
U.S. stocks closed near the highs of the session Monday, led by defensive sectors, in choppy, low-volume trading dominated by news items from Europe.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 85.15 points, or 0.7%, to 12,068.39, led by a 3.4% rally in Hewlett-Packard Co. shares
The S&P 500 rose 7.89 points, or 0.6%, to 1,261.12.
In a last-hour reversal, gains spread to all 10 industry sectors, led by health care and telecommunications. The Nasdaq Composite rose 9.10 points, or 0.3%, to 2,695.25.
Stocks spent part of the session lower as finance ministers met in Brussels to work out details of a Greek rescue deal, and Greek and Italian governments remained in flux.
NYSE exchange volume was 782 million, or 75% of the last month's average.