A rare double shot of good news about the U.S. economy sent stocks strongly higher Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 92 points despite lingering fear about Europe’s debt turmoil.
Americans signed more contracts to buy previously occupied homes in May, matching the fastest pace in two years, the National Association of Realtors said. It was the latest signal the housing market is improving in many regions following a slump of more than six years.
Homebuilders soared. Lennar Corp. jumped $1.31, or 5 percent, to $28.70. That company had reported earlier that its second-quarter profit rose as it boosted deliveries and new orders. PulteGroup, D.R. Horton and Hovnanian Enterprises also rose sharply.
Earlier, the government said businesses placed more orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in May, suggesting their confidence in the U.S. economy was not shaken by signs of weakness that emerged this spring. Core goods, a measure of business investment plans, also jumped.
The reports “were really quite good,” boosting hopes about the economic recovery after three months of weak output and abysmal job growth, said Dennis Gartman, an economist and editor of The Gartman Letter, a source of daily market commentary.
“The economy is doing reasonably well and will continue to muddle on through,” Gartman said.
The Dow closed up 92.34 points, or 0.7 percent, at 12,627.01. Coca-Cola rose $1.26, or 2 percent, to $76.34, after saying it will invest another $3 billion in India’s rapidly growing consumer market over the next eight years.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 11.86 points, or 0.9 percent, to 1,331.85. Its biggest loser by far was auto parts maker O’Reilly Automotive, which fell $13.83, or 14 percent, to $82.61. O’Reilly said its second-quarter earnings will be at the low end of its earlier estimates and sales will be weaker than previously expected.
H&R Block rose 58 cents, or 4 percent, to $15.67. The tax preparation company posted a lower fourth-quarter profit than analyst had expected, but the company gained valuable market share while cutting jobs and closing stores to focus on electronic tax filing.
The Nasdaq composite average rose 21.26 points to 2,875.32.