U.S. stocks closed mostly higher Tuesday. In U.S. economic news, a gauge of home builder sentiment came in at 57 in January versus 58 in December. In international economic news, all eyes were on the European Central Bank, which is expected to announce a program of government bond purchases, or quantitative easing, on Thursday. The dollar rose against the currencies of major U.S. trading partners. Ggold futures gained for a seventh straight session, up $17.30 to $1,294.20 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average added 3.66, or 0.02 percent, to 17,515.23. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 3.13, or 0.16 percent, to 2,022.55. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index increased 20.46, or 0.44 percent, to 4,654.85.