Dow Ends Day Up 143

Stocks are closing mostly higher on Wall Street, giving the S&P 500 its fourth straight gain and its highest close since early February, the AP reports. Makers of consumer products, technology and health care companies were the biggest winners among large-company stocks Tuesday. Pepsi jumped 4.8% after delivering strong second-quarter results. Chipmaker Nvidia rose 1.6% and Johnson & Johnson rose 1.1%. Small-company stocks missed out on the gains and closed mostly lower. Those stocks have been beating the market so far this year. The S&P 500 rose 9 points, or 0.3%, to 2,793. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 143 points, or 0.6%, to 24,919. The Nasdaq composite inched up 3 points to 7,759. (Read more stock market stories.)