Stocks edge higher

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged higher in midday trading Monday at the start of the last full week before the next round of corporate earnings reports begin.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 21 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,398. The S&P 500 index rose 1 point, or 0.1 percent, to 1,333.

Materials companies gained nearly 1 percent, the most of any of the 10 company groups that make up the S&P 500 index, as commodity prices increased. Futures contracts for corn, wheat, and sugar each rose by more than 1.5 percent.

The S&P index is within 10 points, or less than 1 percent, of its closing high for the year of 1,343.