U.S. stocks rose modestly Tuesday, hitting new record highs, as investors considered U.S. housing data. Tuesday's record-setting session came a day after the major indexes saw record highs. Monday's rally was led by oil, which rose nearly 4 percent to lift energy stocks. Tuesday's gains were led by telecommunications. In U.S. economic news, existing-home sales rose to their highest level in nearly 10 years. The U.S. dollar fell slightly from recent 13-year highs. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 21 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $48.03 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold for December delivery rose $1.40 to $1,211.20 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 67.18, or 0.35 percent, to 19,023.87, closing above 19,000 for the first time in history. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 4.76, or 0.2 percent, to 2,202.94, closing above 2,200 for the first time. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 17.49, or 0.3 percent, to 5,386.35.
