NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks closed higher Tuesday, giving the Standard & Poor's 500 index its fourth gain in a row.<br />
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Investors were encouraged by a report that orders for big-ticket items unexpectedly rose last month and an increase in consumer confidence.<br />
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The S&P 500 gained 11 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 1,911. It had its first close above 1,900 points on Friday.<br />
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The Dow Jones industrial average rose 69 points, or 0.4 percent, to 16,675. The Nasdaq composite rose 51 points, or 1.2 percent, to 4,237.<br />
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U.S. markets were closed Monday for Memorial Day.<br />
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Hillshire Brands, the maker of Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, jumped 22 percent after poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride offered to acquire the company.<br />
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Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.51 percent.
