Stocks closed marginally higher in New York yesterday as investor optimism about interest rates overcame profit concerns about Intel and Gillette. At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 13.93 points at 10,855.56.

Broader stock indicators were mostly higher. The Standard and Poor's 500 was up 1.69 to 1,341.59 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 16.17 to 2,560.32.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 10-to-9 margin on the NYSE, with 1,557 up, 1,404 down and 604 unchanged.

The NYSE composite index rose 0.48 to 636.55, and the American Stock Exchange composite index fell 0.12 to 768.57. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 2.07 to 445.45.