NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended higher on Tuesday after the government expanded its bailout of the auto industry, bolstering hopes that lawmakers would continue to take steps to minimize the severity of the year-long recession.
* Financials lead the S&P 500. The S&P financial index <.GSPF> gained 4.1 percent.
* Prices of single-family homes plunged a record 18 percent in October, while consumer confidence fell to a record low.
* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 184.46 points, or 2.17 percent, at 8,668.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 21.18 points, or 2.44 percent, at 890.60. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> leapt 40.38 points, or 2.67 percent, at 1,550.70.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Leslie Adler)
