Stocks advance on news about Greece

NEW YORK - Stocks edged higher Tuesday as investors waited for a deal between Greece and its creditors, who appeared to be moving closer to an agreement that would avert a default without new loans.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 24.29 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 18,144.07. The Nasdaq composite rose 6.12 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,160.09. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 1.35 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,124.20.

Prepaid debit-card company Green Dot was among the biggest gainers. Its stock soared 40 percent after the company announced it renewed its partnership with Walmart for another five years.

Netflix climbed in after-hours trading following the company's announcement that its board had approved a plan to split its stock.

The major indexes added to Monday's gains, as reports from Europe suggested that Greece's proposals for budget savings appeared to have won initial approval from the nation's creditors. European Union finance ministers are scheduled to meet Wednesday.

Investors have been following the discussions closely, wary that a Greek default and the nation's potential exit from the euro currency could cause chaos in financial markets.

In the United States, investors also remained focused on when the Federal Reserve might increase its key interest rate for the first time in nearly a decade.

Fed Governor Jerome Powell said Tuesday that he expects the U.S. central bank to begin raising its benchmark interest rate in September, with a second rate rise in December.

U.S. government bond prices fell again, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note up to 2.41 percent. Treasuries have been falling sharply as investors anticipate the Fed's action. At the start of June, the 10-year note traded at 2.18 percent.

In energy markets, the price of oil rose on expectations that gasoline demand is rising, which would in turn boost demand for crude.

Benchmark U.S. crude for August delivery rose 63 cents to close at $61.01 a barrel in New York. The contract for U.S. crude for July delivery expired Monday at $59.68. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose $1.11 to $64.45 in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX, wholesale gasoline rose 4.7 cents to close at $2.08 a gallon. Heating oil rose 4.2 cents to close at $1.91 a gallon. Natural gas fell 0.7 cents to close at $2.73 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In metals trading, gold fell $7.50 to $1,176.60 an ounce. Silver slipped 41 cents to $15.74 an ounce. Copper dropped 4.6 cents to $2.61 a pound.