US stock indexes take off on new data

U.S. stock indexes rose Tuesday after the U.S. Commerce Department said durable goods orders were up in February. New orders for goods expected to last at least three years rose 5.7 percent from January, the fifth rise in orders in the past six months. A closely watched monthly index of U.S. home prices, the S&P-Case/Shiller report, also gave stocks a boost. The 20-city Composite Index released Tuesday indicated prices rose 8.1 percent in January from 12 months prior. In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average added 93.73 points, or 0.65 percent, to 14,541.48. The Nasdaq added 15.22 points, or 0.47 percent, to 3,250.52. The Standard and Poor's 500 gained 8.49 points, or 0.55 percent, to 1,560.18. Ten-year U.S. treasury bonds fell 4/32 to yield 1.936 percent. Against the dollar, the euro was at $1.2858 from Monday's $1.2853. Against the yen, the dollar was lower at 94.25 yen from 94.41 yen. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index lost 0.6 percent, 74.84 points, to 12,471.62.