U.S. stocks rose modestly in choppy trade on Tuesday as investors gauged inflation data and braced for quarterly earnings reports to justify stock valuations and the strength of the U.S. economy. Stocks received an initial lift after a Labor Department report showed the producer price index rose less than expected in December, but the report failed to sway expectations about the Federal Reserve’s likely path of monetary policy this year. Early gains evaporated and each of the three major indexes briefly went lower as investors awaited Wednesday’s consumer price index reading, which will further shape expectations for inflation and the Fed.