Stocks Ended Record Highs for the Second Straight Day

U.S. stocks posted record high closes for the second straight day on Tuesday, after strong automotive sales in September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 84.07 points, or 0.37%, to 22,641.67. The S&P 500 gained 5.46 points, or 0.22%, to 2,534.58. The Nasdaq Composite added 15.00 points, or 0.23%, to 6,531.71.

Oil prices settled at a two-week low on Tuesday, as traders weighed prospects for global supplies on the back of a rise in OPEC production last month. November West Texas Intermediate crude fell 16 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $50.42 a barrel. December Brent crude shed 12 cents, or 0.2%, to $56 a barrel.

Major automakers on Tuesday posted higher U.S. new vehicle sales in September as consumers in hurricane-hit parts of the country replaced flood-damaged cars. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of U.S. car and light truck sales in September rose to 18.57 million units from 17.72 million units a year earlier, according to Autodata Corp, which tracks industry sales.