Stocks are ending modestly higher after a day of wobbling between slight gains and losses. Materials companies notched some of the biggest gains Thursday as prices for metals and other commodities ended mostly higher. Copper miner Freeport McMoRan jumped 18% and metals maker Alcoa rose 10%. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 79 points, or 0.5%, to 16,416. The Standard & Poor's 500 index edged up two points, or 0.2%, to 1,915. The Nasdaq composite climbed five points, or 0.1%, to 4,509. (More Dow Jones stories.)