US Stocks Extend Rally On Solid Earnings

Wall Street stocks turned in another positive session on Tuesday, shrugging off lacklustre housing data as mostly good earnings lifted confidence about results in the coming days.

A heavy week of earnings results accelerated with good reports from Dow members Travelers, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble, even as the latter said higher commodity and transportation costs hit profit margins.

"The market continues to improve based on strong earnings that are continuing to pour in," despite high oil prices, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities.

The Dow Jones gained 0.6 percent to end 35,457.

The S&P 500 jumped 0.7 percent to close at 4,519, while the Nasdaq also won 0.7 percent to 15,129.

While earnings took center stage, US government data showed home construction slowed in September on a sharp drop off in building of apartments.

Housing projects started last month fell 1.6 percent compared to August to an annual rate of 1.55 million units, seasonally adjusted, the Commerce Department reported.

Among individual companies reporting results, Travelers climbed 1.7 percent and Johnson & Johnson rose 2.4 percent while Procter & Gamble dropped 1.1 percent.

The Bitcoin Strategy ETF, a new vehicle launched by ProShares Tuesday, rose 4.7 percent to US$41.89 in its first session on the New York Stock Exchange.

The exchange-traded fund, which is linked to bitcoin futures rather than directly to the digital currency, trades under the ticker "BITO" and bills itself as an accessible investment vehicle for mainstream shareholders. (AFP)