(Closed): US stocks closed higher in November's first trading session, boosted by positive US construction data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.94% at 17,828.76 points, while the Nasdaq was 1.45% higher at 5,127.15 points.
At the same time, the S&P 500 index was up 1.19% at 2,104.05 points.
Data from the Commerce Department showed construction of new homes and highways reached a seven-year high.
Petroleum companies had a strong day. ExxonMobil was up 3.1% and Chevron was up 4.5%.
Credit card firm Visa failed to impress investors with its plan to buy Visa Europe, currently under separate ownership.
The firm, which also announced lower than expected quarterly profits, topped the losers' list on the Dow, falling 3%.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals was up 7.2% after weeks on a downward streak.
The drug maker was accused by short seller Citron, of using a speciality pharmacy to misprice drugs. Shares rebounded on the news Citron would not publish new allegations.
