On Tuesday, December 19th, U.S. stock markets ended higher buoyed by the Federal Reserve's recent dovish policy shift and anticipation of key inflation data.
In economic data, November single-family housing starts surged to 1.143 million units, an 18.0% increase from October's revised figure of 969,000 units, marking the highest level since April 2022.
Additionally, permits for future single-family home construction rose modestly by 0.7% to 976,000 units, the highest rate in one and a half years.
S&P 500's 11 primary sectors closed positively, with energy and communication services seeing the biggest percentage increases.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.68% at 37,557.92, the S&P 500 gained 0.59% to 4,768.37, and the Nasdaq Composite rose ...