Dow extends win streak to three, but gains fade late; Best Buy is S&P laggard

U.S. stocks end higher after Fed, data

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) 

U.S. stocks finished higher on Tuesday, after the Federal Reserve held onto its current policy to support the economy and retail-sales numbers for November were better than expected.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 47.98 points, or 0.4%, to end at 11,476.54, lifted by a 1.7% gain in shares of Kraft Foods , and a 1.4% rise in shares of Microsoft .

The S&P 500 index gained 1.13 points, or 0.1%, to 1,241.59, with the telecom and health-care sectors leading the gains.

The Nasdaq Composite advanced 2.81 points, or 0.1%, to 2,627.72.