Tech, materials stocks push Wall Street higher

A rise in technology and materials stocks drove gains on Wall Street on Monday as a weaker dollar boosted commodity prices, just before the earnings season kicks off. Earnings at S&P 500 companies are expected to have declined 7.7 percent on average in the first quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Alcoa, seen as the unofficial start to quarterly earnings season, will post results after the market closes. Oil, which has been a big influence on the stock market this year, was higher