By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose slightly on Tuesday as upbeat quarterly results from bellwether companies, including CATERPILLAR (CAT.NY)Inc, overshadowed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's cautious outlook for the economy.
The Dow industrials <.DJI> held on to early gains as Caterpillar
Bernanke said in testimony to a House of Representatives committee that job insecurity, together with declines in home values and tight credit, is likely to limit gains in consumer spending -- a key driver of the U.S. economy.
"(Bernanke) sees what he calls 'tentative signs of stabilization,' but he remains very cautious about calling this a recovery," said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at Johnson Illington Advisors in Albany, New York.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 56.23 points, or 0.64 percent, to 8,904.38. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> edged up 0.90 points, or 0.09 percent, to 952.03. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 4.37 points, or 0.23 percent, to 1,904.92.
The S&P 500 closed at an eight-month high on Monday, as the early stages of a healthier-than-expected second quarter earnings season lifted investors' hope about the economic recovery.
After the closing bell on Monday, chipmaker Texas Instruments Inc
(Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak)
(Editing by Padraic Cassidy)
