S&P 500 Jumped to Record Close

U.S. stocks ended higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 climbing to a record close just below 2,000, as markets received a lift from deal activity and hints of more stimulus from the European Central Bank. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 75.65 points, or 0.44%, to 17,076.87. The S&P rose 9.52 points, or 0.48%, to 1997.9. The Nasdaq composite gained 18.80 points, or 0.41%, to 4557.35.

The sales pace of new single-family homes fell to a four-month low in July, missing analysts’ estimates, according to a government report released Monday. The sales pace for new single-family homes declined 2.4% in July to a seasonally  adjusted annual rate of 412,000.

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) has agreed to acquire Twitch, a live-streaming service for videogame players, for more than $1 billion.

The dollar rose to its highest level against the euro in nearly a year on Monday as weak German economic data and comments by European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi encouraged bets on looser euro zone monetary policies.