US stock indexes gain as oil ends off high, Cisco jumps late

U.S. stocks ended marginally higher on Tuesday after oil prices pulled back from a session high near $60 a barrel, offsetting a sell-off in the tech sector after National Semiconductor Corp. lowered its outlook.

A better-than-expected outlook and earnings from Cisco Systems Inc. after the bell drove the network equipment maker's shares sharply higher. That could give the technology sector a boost in Wednesday's session.

Oil futures prices ended only modestly higher after climbing to a NYMEX session peak of $59.99 a barrel as a cold front swept across the northeastern United States. Oil prices gave up more than $1 of that gain, relieving investors' concerns about higher energy costs and inflation.

Read more at Reuters South Africa