Dow up a hair after investor waffling

The stock market is waiting for the presidential election as much as anyone.

The market struggled for direction Monday. Stocks waffled between small gains and losses, but by midafternoon it seemed they would finish solidly lower. The Dow Jones industrial average fell as much as 108 points before rallying in the late afternoon to finish two points higher. There wasn't any obvious catalyst for the turnaround, other than general indecision on the part of investors.

Earnings reports from toy-maker Hasbro, clothing maker VF Corp. and other companies were underwhelming. The overhang of the presidential election in two weeks didn't help either. Investors are wary of making big moves before they know who's going to be the next president.

"They need to know the playing field before they get out there and play," said Jeff Savage, regional chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Bank in Portland, Ore.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended virtually flat. It inched up 2.38 points to close at 13,345.89.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was also little changed, edging up 0.04 percent to 1,433.82. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.38 percent to 3,016.96.