Dow, S&P 500 post modest gains Tuesday, stocks bounce after 4-session skid

U.S. stocks posted modest gains on Tuesday, climbing a day after the Dow and S&P 500 cemented a fourth day in a row of declines and stocks slumped to their lowest levels in about a month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
+0.28%
rose about 92 points Tuesday, or 0.3%, ending near 32,850. The S&P 500 index
SPX,
+0.10%
gained 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
+0.01%
closed virtually flat, according to FactSet. Stocks struggled for direction earlier in the session after the Bank of Japan surprised global markets by loosening a cap on 10-year government bond yields, a potential sign of a shift away from its ultraloose monetary policies. Global bond yields jumped along with Japanese government rates. U.S. stocks rallied modestly in afternoon trade, with the S&P 500 led higher by gains in the energy, communication services and materials sectors.