Dow Up 150 Points

Traders came back from the long weekend rested—and ready to buy. The U.S. stock market got off to a flying start on Tuesday thanks to reports that suggest the economy is continuing to power forward. The Case-Shiller housing index showed that between March 2012 and March 2013, housing prices rose an impressive 10.9 percent. And the Conference Board reported that its measure of consumer confidence surged to a five-year high. At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average was up more than 150 points, or about 1 percent.