US stocks closed higher on Tuesday as investors awaited inflation data and the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week. Fed fund futures suggest an 80% chance that the central bank will hold interest rates when it meets in June. Financials rose 1.33%, while the KBW regional banking index rose 5.41%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both gained, while the Russell 2000 index of small-cap companies added 2.69%, with about three-and-a-half times as many advancers as decliners on the New York Stock Exchange. Megacap stocks were among major indexes that wavered, having added almost 20% since October lows.