Stocks Ended Higher as Earnings Ramped Up

U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Monday at the start of a crowded week for corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 17.70 points, or 0.07%, to 27,171.90. The S&P 500 advanced 8.42 points, or 0.28%, to 2,985.03. The Nasdaq Composite gained 57.65 points, or 0.71%, to 8,204.14.

Oil prices finished higher on Monday, as investors watched an increasingly complicated situation in the Persian Gulf after Iran late last week seized a British-flagged tanker, and as the U.K. faces a change in leadership. West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery rose 59 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $56.22 a barrel. Brent crude for September delivery, the global benchmark, added 79 cents, or 1.3%, to finish at $63.26 a barrel.

This week, about 25% of S&P 500 component companies report second-quarter results, including Boeing (BA), Amazon (AMZN), Google-parent Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and McDonald’s (MCD). For companies that have reported so far, results have largely exceeded expectations.