Stocks edge higher; S&P 500 climbs toward record  STEVE ROTHWELL
AP Markets Writer Published:    The S&P 500 will have closed at
a record on eight days this month if it ends the day higher on
Monday. The index has been boosted by a deal that ended a
partial government shutdown and a prevented a potential default
on U.S. debt. Stocks have also climbed because companies have
been able to keep increasing their earnings even as the economy
failed to escape stall speed.   "Earnings are beating a low
bar," said Russ Koesterich, chief investment strategist at
BlackRock. "You have an economy that's not producing a lot of
top-line growth, but it's allowing margins to remain elevated
for longer than people thought."  The S&P 500 rose three points,
or 0.2 percent, to 1,762 as of 3:10 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow
Jones industrial average edged up eight points, or 0.1 percent,
to 15,577. The Nasdaq composite was down four points, or 0.1
percent, at 3,940.  J.C. Penney, which is trying to recover from
a botched corporate mak