U.S. stocks gain on Iran deal, housing report weighs; Dow up 0.06%

U.S. stocks gain on Iran deal, housing report weighs; Dow up 0.06%

Investing.com – U.S. stocks finished Monday mixed to higher after investors applauded Iran's weekend decision to limit its nuclear program, though soft sales figures out of the housing sector dampened gains.

At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.06%, the S&P 500 index fell 0.13%, while the Nasdaq Composite index rose 0.07%.

Weekend talks among the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, Germany, France and Iran ended in agreement that halted advancements in Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing economic sanctions against Tehran.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iran will stop enriching uranium beyond 5%, and neutralize its stockpile of uranium enriched beyond that point.�

Tehran will also grant more access to its facilities to nuclear inspectors in exchange for no new sanctions for six months.

Iran will also receive sanctions relief worth approximately USD7 billion in trade on oil, auto and airplane parts, gold and precious metals for six months.

Trade sanctions slapped on Iran due to its alleged nuclear ambitions have taken out more than 1 million barrels of oil per day from the global market in the past two years.

World powers have accused Iran of using its nuclear program to secretly develop nuclear weapons, an assertion the country has consistently denied.

Soft data out of the housing sector brought in the profit takers, especially in view that stock markets have risen due to improving economic indicators and also due to sentiments the Federal Reserve will keep monetary policy ultra-loose until 2014.

In a report, the National Association of Realtors said its pending home sales index declined by a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in October, disappointing market expectations for a 1.3% gain.

Year-on-year, pending home sales fell at annualized rate of 2.2% last month, outpacing expectations for a 1% decline after rising 2% in September.

Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included Caterpillar, up 1.83%, Merck, up 1.52%, and American Express, up 0.91%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Boeing, down 2.12%, IBM, down 1.25%, and General Electric, down 0.98%.

European indices, meanwhile, finished higher.

After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.53%, France's CAC 40 rose 0.55%, while Germany's DAX 30 rose 0.88%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 finished up 0.30%.

On Tuesday, the U.S. is to produce data on building permits, a leading indicator of future construction activity as well as a report on housing starts. The U.S. is also to release private sector data on consumer confidence and house price inflation.