Stocks finished higher on a shortened day of Christmas Eve trading as the 10-year Treasury yield neared 3%.
The Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 again set records for all-time closing highs, reaching 16,357.55 and 1,833.32, respectively.
At the 1 p.m. ET closing bell, the Dow and S&P 500 index logged gains of 0.4% and 0.3%, respectively. The Nasdaq composite finished 0.1% higher.
DURABLE GOODS: Orders jump 3.5%
NEW HOME SALES: Dip in November
Government reports showed durable goods orders surging as home sales gave up some ground.
The Commerce Department said orders for durables jumped 3.5% in compared with October, when orders had fallen 0.7%. The increase was led by a 21.8% jump in demand for commercial aircraft, which can be volatile.
Homebuilder stocks rose after the government reported that new home sales rose at a faster pace than analysts were expecting last month.
But still, sales slipped slightly after a big surge the previous month. The figures add to evidence that the housing market is struggling to sustain the pace of its recovery.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury sprang 1.8%, climbing to 2.98%. It's been almost two and a half years since the yield surpassed 3%.
On Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 73.47 points, or 0.5%, to a record close of 16,294.61. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 9.67 points, or 0.5%, to close at at a record 1,827.99. The Nasdaq composite jumped 44.16 points, or 1.1%, to 4,148.90.
MONDAY: Stocks: Record-high indexes cruise higher
Historically, stocks perform well during the holiday season, albeit with light trading, and this year has followed that trend, with the market setting new records thanks to several strong reports indicating a strengthening recovery. The Fed's announcement that it will begin to slowly taper its economic stimulus has also removed a degree of uncertainty from the market.
MORE: Is 'Santa Claus' rally in cards for Wall Street?
In Asia, stock indexes finished higher, despite losing early gains in late trading. Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 18.91 points, or 0.1%, to close at 15,996.88, after touching above the 16,000 level for the first time in six years in the morning session. China's Shanghai Composite added 3.20 points, or 0.2%, to finish at 2,104.66. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 257.99 points, or 1.1%, to 23,179.55.
Major European benchmarks also ended higher, with Britain's FTSE 100 index up 0.2% and France's CAC-40 up 0.1%.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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