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8B – Daily News – Wednesday, March 30, 2011 Stocks finished broadly higher Tuesday after con- sumer confidence fell less than some analysts had feared. All 10 company groups that make up the S&P 500 index rose by more than 0.3 percent. The S&P 500 rose 9.25 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,319.44. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 81.13 points, or 0.7 percent, to 12,279.01. The Nasdaq composite rose 26.21, or 1 Stocks gain as confidence falls less than feared Wall Street NEW YORK (AP) — percent, to 2,756.89. Rising gas prices helped drag down consumer con- fidence in March. The Conference Board said its confidence index dropped to 63.4 from 72 in Febru- ary. The fall comes after five straight months of gains, but some economists had expected the decline to be even worse. Goldman Sachs had forecast a drop to 60, believing that high gas prices would pinch spend- ing. The University of Michigan confidence sur- vey also took a steep fall last week. The Conference Board survey also had a surprising result: the index measuring consumers’ assessment of current conditions gained from February, putting it at the highest level since November 2008. ‘‘Now, you can’t say things are going worse than they were a month ago,’’ said Thomas Simons, money market economist at Jefferies & Co. Home Depot Inc. rose 2.9 percent, the most of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones industrial average. The retailer said it would buy $1 billion of its own stock with cash from sell- ing bonds. Stocks started lower after a report showed that home prices fell in 19 of the 20 large U.S. cities tracked by the S&P/Case-Shiller index. Washington was the only city in which prices rose. Prices have fallen 3 percent overall in the past year. Lennar Corp. fell 3.4 percent on news that hous- ing prices dropped in most major cities even after the homebuilder reported a sur- prise profit for the latest quarter. Other home- builders fell, too. KB Home dropped 1.9 percent. Toll Brothers slipped 0.2 per- cent. General Electric Co. rose 0.6 percent after announcing plans to buy 90 percent of Converteam, a K W I K K U T S LASSEN STEAK HOUSE “Home of the Sizzling Platter” Perfect for Large Parties Anniversary • Retirement • Weddings • Birthdays • Reunions, etc. Open 11am - 9pm Call 530 839-2838 Corner of Hwy 99E & Vina Rd. Family Hair Salon 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 with coupon $200 REGULAR HAIRCUT off Not good with other offers Reg. $13.95 Expires 3/31/11 France-based electrical equipment maker. Two stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 3.6 billion shares. Alan Wylie Inspector 4950 Mountain Lakes Blvd #B Redding, CA 96003 Mobile: 530/638-1015 TERMITE INSPECTION FREE & SERVICE* or UP TO 15% OFF TERMITE TREATMENT PEST EVALUATION FREE & SAVE 10% OFF PEST CONTROL SERVICE* Have Your Party at