Wall St ends up on housing data

All three major Wall Street indices gained Tuesday as optimism about the US housing market outweighed worries about Europe's financial crisis.

An index of housing prices showed the smallest decline since November2010, with a drop of just 1.9 per cent in the S&P/Case-Shillerindex in April compared to 2.6 per cent a month earlier.

The figures also overshadowed data that US consumer confidence fell to a five-month low in June as Americans were pessimistic about the near future for the US economy and the job market. The monthly index of consumer confidence released by the New York-based Conference Board declined to 62 from 64.4 in May.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 32.01 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 12,534.67. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 6.27 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 1,319.99. The

technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index rose 17.9 points, or 0.63 per cent,to 2,854.06.\\\\DPA