Tuesday's early trade: stocks rise modestly

US stocks rose modestly in choppy, low volume-trading Tuesday, with concerns about Europe offsetting a jump in crude prices. The market earlier rose as much as 1 percent as crude oil prices spiked above $100 a barrel. But equities trimmed gains after sources said German Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected any suggestion of raising the limit of Europe's future bailout fund, pushing the euro lower.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 42.99 points, or 0.36 percent, to 12,064.38. The S&P 500 added 4.93 points, or 0.40 percent, to 1,241.40. The Nasdaq Composite edged up 1.14 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,613.40.