Stocks finished higher Tuesday despite U.S. consumer confidence weakening and a mixed report on home prices. The disappointing report on consumer confidence early Tuesday initially sent stocks down. The index dropped to 48.5 in September from 53.2 in August, the Conference Board reported. The index is far from 90-a level that typically indicates a stable economy. But the disappointing reading on consumer confidence was countered by a slightly encouraging report on home prices. The Case-Shiller 20-city home price index showed home prices rose 0.6 percent in July compared with June. Prices rose 3.2 percent compared with July 2009. The U.S. dollar fell versus the euro and the yen. Light sweet crude oil for November delivery fell 34 cents to $76.18 per barrel. Gold futures reached a new record high of $1,308.30 an ounce. AOL shares gained 3 percent after the media company announced plans to acquire news outlet TechCrunch. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 46.1, or 0.4 percent, to 10,858.14. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5.54, or 0.5 percent, to 1,147.70. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 9.82, or 0.4 percent, to 2,379.59. BlackBerrry maker Researcher in Motion (RIMM) unveiled the PlayBook, a new tablet computer to compete with Apple's fast-selling iPad. However, RIMM shares fell almost 3 percent and the stock is down more than 30 percent this year due to worries that the Canadian company is lagging behind Apple and smart telephone makers using Google's Android operating system.
