US stocks on Monday continued a rally that began last week, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average back into positive territory for the year. Sales of new homes surged 23.6 per cent in June, far exceeding expectations and helping to boost investor optimism after a record plunge in sales the previous month. An improved earnings forecast from delivery company FedEx also spurred the gains. The blue-chip Dow gained 100.81 points, or 0.97 per cent, to close at 10,525.43. The benchmark index is up 0.93 per cent this year. The broader Standard and Poor's 500 Index was up 12.35 points, or 1.12 per cent, to 1,115.01. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 26.96 points, or 1.19 per cent, to 2,296.43. Last week, the Dow jumped 3.24 per cent, the S&P 500 surged 3.55 per cent and the Nasdaq was up 4.15 per cent. The US currency fell Monday to 76.98 euro cents from 77.46 euro cents on Friday. The dollar dropped against the Japanese currency to 86.87 yen from 87.46 yen on Friday.
