Major stock indexes end with modest gains on Wall Street

Stocks closed modestly higher on Wall Street Wednesday as investors turn their focus to some strong earnings reports from Big Tech companies and hopes for getting more economic stimulus passed in Washington. Investors also continue to watch shares of companies such as GameStop and AMC Entertainment, which have been targets of a community of online investors seeking to push them higher at the expense of hedge funds who bet the stocks would fall. The S&P 500 rose 0.1%. Google’s parent co