US stocks rallied Tuesday, with the Nasdaq Composite Index eking out a new closing record, as investors mainly assessed economic data on the first trading day after the long holiday weekend.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.23 points, or 0.06%, to 19,945.04. The S&P 500 gained 5.09 points, or 0.22%, to 2,268.88.

    The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 24.75 points, or 0.45%, to 5,487.44. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index came in at 113.7 in December, up from 109.4 in November. 

    verseas, European equities closed slightly higher Tuesday in thin holiday trade. German benchmark DAX index at Frankfurt Stock Exchange inched up 0.19%, while British benchmark FTSE 100 Index added 0.06%.