Stocks end day broadly higher

NEW YORK - The stock market rose Tuesday as investors waited to find out when the Federal Reserve might raise interest rates.

Stocks flitted between gains and losses through most of the morning, then turned broadly higher in the afternoon on an increase in health-care and utility stocks.

Investors may get a better sense of how soon rates may rise after the central bank concludes a two-day meeting Wednesday. Fed Chair Janet Yellen could discuss the bank's rate plans, as well as the outlook for employment and inflation, in a news conference in the afternoon.

Until the closing minutes, the Dow Jones industrial average looked like it would rise to a record, but prices faltered at the end. Still, the blue-chip index ended up gaining 100.83, its first triple-digit close since Aug. 18. The Dow closed at 17,131.97, a gain of 0.59 percent.

The Nasdaq composite rose 33.86 points, or 0.75 percent, to 4,552.76. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 14.85 points, or 0.75 percent, to 1,998.98.

Among the 10 sectors of the S&P 500, health-care stocks gained the most, up 1.3 percent. Utilities and energy stocks followed, with a 1.2 percent gain each. Energy stocks were pushed higher by rising oil prices. Exxon Mobil increased 1.2 percent.

In economic news, a measure of prices that U.S. producers receive for their goods and services was unchanged in August, the latest sign that inflation is in check. A drop in wholesale gas and food prices was offset by higher prices for transportation and shipping services, the Labor Department said.

Among stocks making big moves: Humana Inc. rose $4.71 to $132.37, a gain of 4 percent. The health insurer said it planned to repurchase as much as $2 billion of its own shares, double what it had previously planned. The stock has climbed 28 percent this year.

Sears Holdings fell $3.15, or 9 percent, to $30.37. The company is taking out a $400 million short-term loan from a hedge fund run by CEO Edward Lampert, the retail company's biggest owner. Sears has struggled against rivals like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in recent years.

In metals trading, gold rose $1.60, or 0.1 percent, to $1,236.70 an ounce. Silver gained 10.1 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $18.72 an ounce. Copper rose 8 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $3.17 a pound.

The price of benchmark U.S. crude rose $1.96 to close at $94.88 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose $1.17 to close at $99.05 in London.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged from Monday at 2.59 percent.