QUIET GAIN: Stocks rose in light trading ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The market is closed Thursday and will close early Friday.

CEASE-FIRE: Stocks got a modest lift after Israel and the Hamas militant group agreed to end eight days of the fiercest fighting in nearly four years.

NO SPARKLE: Zale, the jewelry company, lost 30 percent after reporting a wider-than-expected loss in the most recent quarter.