All but four stocks posted gains on our Birmingham and Alabama Stock Report on Tuesday, while eight had gains of at least 1.5%.

Medical Properties Trust, the Birmingham-based real estate investment trust that focuses on health care facilities, led the way at 3.4%.

WestRock, the Atlanta-based corrugated packaging company, was next at 2.7%. The second-largest American packaging company has eight sites across the state, including Huntsville, Athens, Stevenson and Cullman in north Alabama and Eutaw, Lanett, Demopolis and Montgomery in central Alabama.

Boeing followed with a 2.6% gain and Nucor ticked up 2.5%. Vulcan Materials (1.9%), Synovus (1.7%), U.S. Steel (1.6%) and International Paper (1.5%) rounded out the top gainers.

Overall, stocks climbed Tuesday as Wall Street prepared for an upcoming update on inflation that will hopefully show a smaller increase in pain for everyone.

The S&P 500 rose 29.73, or 0.7%, to 4,439.26. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 317.02 points, or 0.9%, to 34,261.42, and the Nasdaq composite added 75.22, or 0.5%, to 13,760.70.