Dow rises on strong earnings and lower oil prices

U.S. stocks climbed Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average leading gains as investors reacted to a wave of corporate earnings and a sharp drop in oil prices. The Dow rose about 600 points in late trading, while the S&P 500 was little changed and the Nasdaq lagged amid renewed pressure on technology and semiconductor shares. Several major companies, including CocaCola, UPS, Royal Caribbean, and Johnson & Johnson, reported results that helped support parts of the market. The session also featured weakness in chips, with semiconductor stocks extending recent losses in the U.S. and Asia. At the same time, consumer confidence slipped in July, and traders watched moves in the dollar, gold, Treasury yields, and energy prices ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting.