NEW YORK — Some of Wall Street's earnings anxiety is easing — at least for the time being.

The market had its second straight moderate advance yesterday, rising after companies including United States Steel Corp. and American Express Co. managed to post profits in a difficult recession. Financial stocks that were mostly higher also lent support to the market.

The major indexes briefly stumbled after the Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index in January slipped to its lowest level since the reading's inception in 1967. But profit reports from several companies reassured investors that while the fourth quarter was generally terrible for companies, it wasn't the disaster many had feared.