US stocks open higher as banner 2013 winds down

US stocks Tuesday opened higher following a report showing rising home prices as investors kicked off the final session of a banner year for equities. Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 33.90 points (0.21 percent) to 16,538.19. The broad-based S&P 500 gained 2.95 (0.16 percent) at 1,844.02, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index added 10.17 (0.24 percent) at 4,164.37. Home prices for the 20 biggest US cities rose a seasonally adjusted 1.0 percent in October compared with the prior month, according to the S&P Case-Shiller home price index. US stocks in 2013 enjoyed by far their best year since the financial crisis five years ago, with the Dow gaining 25.9 percent, the S&P 500 jumping 29.1 percent and Nasdaq up 37.6 percent as of Monday's close. The jump in the Dow was the best percentage gain for that index since 1996, according S&P Dow Jones Indices.