Stocks End Higher, Nasdaq above 4000

U.S. stocks edged up on Tuesday, after strong housing figures and retailer earnings, despite a
drop in consumer confidence. The Dow rose 0.26 point to finish at 16,072.80. The S&P 500 edged up
0.27 point to end at 1,802.75. The Nasdaq tacked on 23.18 points, or 0.58%, to finish at 4,017.75.

The number of building permits issued in October rose 6.2% from a month earlier to a seasonally
adjusted annual rate of 1.034 million, after rising by 5.2% in September, the Commerce Department
said Tuesday.

The consumer-confidence index fell for the third straight month, dipping to 70.4 in November from
71.2, the nonprofit Conference Board said Tuesday. It’s also the lowest level since April.

Hewlett-Packard Co’s fiscal fourth-quarter revenue fell 3 percent on shrinking personal computer
and printer sales, but revenue from its key enterprise group rose – an optimistic sign that sent
the company’s shares over 6 percent higher. HP posted revenue of $29.1 billion.