U.S. stocks close higher in light volume on hopes for solid U.S. corporate earnings

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)
U.S. stocks rose Monday on light volume, catching an updrift on hopes U.S. corporate earnings reports -- which got underway late Monday -- would show some strength.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 32.77 points, or 0.3%, to 12,392.69, led by Alcoa Inc., up 2.9% ahead of its late-Monday financial results.
The S&P 500  finished up 2.89 points, or 0.2%, at 1,280.70
The Nasdaq Composite added 2.34 points, or 0.1%, to 2,676.56
NYSE exchange volume was about 700 million, and NYSE composite volume was 3.2 billion, both under recent averages