US Stocks gained for a third straight session today as the blazing rally of late last week encouraged more buying, but uncertainty about the impending flood of earnings reports kept some investors on guard.
The market added modestly to gains racked up on Thursday and Friday in a rally that helped stocks snap a 6-week losing streak.
Persistent concerns about lacklustre corporate profit growth kept the day's gains in check, however, and the deadly weekend bomb blasts in the Indonesian resort island of Bali reignited worries about the fragility of the global economy.
"There's a little bit of a follow-through from last week's momentum," said Mr Bob Basel, senior trader at Salomon Smith Barney. "But a majority of traders would say there's a chance we'll retest the lows."
The technology-loaded Nasdaq rose 10.06 points, or 0.83 per cent, to 1,220.53, while the broad Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 6.12 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 841.44, according to the latest available data.
The Dow Jones Industrial average inched up to end with a gain of 27.11 points, or 0.35 per cent at 7,877.40. The Dow took a hit from shares of carmaker General Motors, which fell more than 4 per cent following a sour investment call.
GM is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings today.