U.S. stocks rose modestly Tuesday, continuing a month-long rally and pushing the Dow industrials to a new record high, as investors considered economic data and prepared for two key central-bank meetings. The U.S. dollar rose 0.4 percent against a basket of other currencies. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 86 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $50.93 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, ending a four-day winning streak. Gold futures for February delivery fell $6.40 to $1,170.10 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 35.54, or 0.2 percent, to 19,251.78, posting its 11th record high in the last month. Eighteen of the index's 30 components rose, led by investment bank Goldman Sachs and telecommunications giant Verizon, whose shares each gained about 1.2 percent. Nike led decliners, losing almost 2.5 percent.The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 7.52, or 0.3 percent, to 2,212.23. Telecommunications rose 1.5 percent to lead nine advancing sectors, while materials and utilities fell.
