US stocks higher after alcoa kicks off earnings season

All three major US indices finished in positive territory Wednesday after aluminium maker Alcoa reported better-than-estimated sales to open the earnings season, dpa reported. Alcoa ended the day down 0.2 per cent, but traded up as much as 2.5 per cent during the day, setting the trend for Wednesday's gains. Analysts were waiting for fourth-quarter results from other bellwether companies to find out whether the trend would be sustained. The Dow industrials rose 61.66 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 13,390.51. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 3.87 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 1,461.02. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index added 14 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 3,105.81. The US currency rose to 76.60 euro cents to 76.45 euro cents on Tuesday. The dollar gained against the Japanese currency to 87.98 yen from 86.91 yen.