Shares of manufacturing and transportation companies rose as traders took heart from a strong round of earnings reports this past week. United Parcel Service was more or less flat after the package-delivery giant posted third-quarter growth, fueled by an increase in package shipments both in the U.S. and abroad and increased domestic business-to-business deliveries. The business-to-business activity was interpreted as a good portent for the U.S. economy.

-Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com