Energy and materials companies were posting gains as the price of crude oil gained. Chevron Corp. led Dow gainers, rising 1.2 per cent to finish at $91.19. American Express Co. had the largest fall, losing 0.6 per cent to $42.79. In corporate news, General Motors Co. gained 2.1 per cent to close at $35.32 after a handful of analysts from investment banks that underwrote the automaker's IPO initiated coverage with favourable ratings. Home builder Beazer Homes USA Inc. fell 4.5 per cent to $5.37 on the disappointing home prices report. The dollar slid to a 7-week low versus the Japanese yen Tuesday in thin post-Christmas trading, but rose against the euro and pound. Consolidated volume on the New York Stock Exchange was 2.2 billion shares, about half the usual volume on Wall Street. Trading is expected to be light for most of the week as many investors have already closed their books for the year. Falling shares narrowly outpaced rising ones on the New York Stock Exchange. (AP)