Stocks Rose on Home Depot

U.S. stocks rose for a second straight session on Tuesday as upbeat housing market data and strong earnings from Dow industrials component Home Depot overshadowed lingering worry about the conflict in Ukraine. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 80.85 points, or 0.48%, to 16,919.59. The S&P 500 gained 9.86 points, or 0.50%, to 1,981.60. The Nasdaq Composite added 19.20 points, or 0.43%, to 4,527.51.

U.S. consumer prices edged up in July, but the overall pace of inflation cooled slightly after a sharp runup earlier in the year. In July, the consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1%, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

Subdued consumer inflation data, sluggish wage growth and falling commodity prices have some market watchers concerned about potential deflation, but an investment strategist at a top U.S.

Steve Ballmer said Tuesday he is stepping down from the board of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) effective immediately.