U.S. stocks closed higher Tuesday, marking their first gains of the new year. In U.S. economic news, investors were somewhat encouraged following a report that showed the U.S. international trade gap narrowed in November. The smaller-than-expected trade deficit bodes well for stronger economic growth for the fourth quarter. Still, traders are likely to remain cautious before key economic reports due later this week. The minutes from the Federal Reserve's (Fed's) last meeting of 2013 are due out Wednesday and the December jobs report comes out early Friday. The dollar lost ground against the euro, the pound, and the yen. Light sweet crude oil for February delivery added 24 cents to $93.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures lost $8.40 to $1,229.60 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 105.84, or 0.64 percent, to 16,530.94. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 11.11, or 0.61 percent, to 1,837.88. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 39.50, or 0.96 percent, to 4,153.18.
