Stocks rebound, rally on consumer confidence data

Stocks shook off their morning sluggishness, rebounding and are rallying as the trading day progresses.

As of 1 p.m., the Dow is up eight-tenths of 1 percent.

The broader S&P 500 is up six-tenths of 1 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq is up seven-tenths of 1 percent.

The rise in stocks followed news from the Conference Board today that early January consumer confidence rose compared to December. It was the third-straight increase in the board's index and its highest level in a year.

Stocks flat at opening

10:30 a.m.: Stocks are flat this morning, and November home prices were softer than expected.

In the first hour of trading, the Dow is up less than 0.2 percent.

The broader S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq are both flat.

Home prices retreated a bit in November, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index out this morning.

The composite index of home prices in 20 metro areas went down 0.2 percent in November. Forecasters expected a 0.1 percent rise in November.

Follow me on Twitter at @theticker