U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Tuesday, helped by gains in the telecom and industrial sectors, though the advance was limited by falling commodity prices that pressured materials shares. The market's mild finish came on the first anniversary of its drop to 12-year closing lows on March 9, 2009.

Based on the latest available figures, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 11.86 points, or 0.11 percent, to end unofficially at 10,564.38. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 1.95 points, or 0.17 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,140.45. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 8.47 points, or 0.36 percent, to close unofficially at 2,340.68.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Telecoms