Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, marking the third straight gain for the S&P 500.

The benchmark hadn't been able to string together more than two gains in a row since mid-September.

The gains Tuesday came as the flow of company earnings reports stepped up. The S&P 500 climbed 1.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.1% and the Nasdaq rose 2.3%. Small-company stocks did even better.

General Motors rose after delivering solid results, while packaging maker Crown Holdings fell sharply after its latest earnings fell short of estimates.

Treasury yields continued to pull back from their multiyear highs.