U.S. stocks are back at record levels as investors were encouraged by good news on housing, the job market and corporate earnings.<br />
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Best Buy jumped 7 percent Thursday after its quarterly results came in far ahead of what analysts were expecting. That bodes well for the holiday shopping season in the U.S.<br />
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Homebuilder stocks rose after sales of U.S. homes increased last month. Beazer Homes rose 2 percent.<br />
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The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose four points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,052.<br />
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The Dow Jones industrial average gained 33 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,719. The Nasdaq composite added 26 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,701.<br />
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Oil rose $1 to $75.58 a barrel in New York.<br />
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Bond price rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.33 percent.<br />
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