FIRMS SOLID: Strong earnings reports from big U.S. companies helped push the Dow Jones industrial average to its eighth gain out of the past nine Tuesday. DuPont, Verizon and Travelers Cos., three of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow, closed higher after reporting their financial results for the final quarter of 2012.

TECH SPARK: Tech behemoths Google and IBM reported solid earnings gains after the market closed. Tech companies' results are being watched closely because many of them have warned about a weak fourth quarter.

SANDY RIPPLES: Three big companies said their fourth-quarter profits were hurt by Superstorm Sandy: Verizon, Delta Air Lines and Travelers. Traders appeared to take the one-time losses in stride. All three closed higher.