Global equity markets rose and the dollar traded mixed yesterday as investors warmed to recent data that has underpinned hopes for sustained US economic strengthening even as new data showed home re-sales fell to an 18-month low last month.

Cold weather and a lack of housing stock sidelined potential home buyers in January, the National Association of Realtors said yesterday, in the latest report indicating severe winter weather has dragged on economic growth.

Home sales dropped 5.1 per cent to an annual rate of 4.62 million units, the lowest level since July 2012, the trade group said. Economists polled by Reuters had expected sales to fall to a 4.68 million pace last month.

Major equity indexes in Europe and across the Americas rose, with a measure of global equity activity, MSCI’s all-country world index, rising 0.47 per cent.

Corporate results also helped lift equity markets.

Priceline.com Inc jumped 2.99 per cent to $1,321.35, and was one of the S&P 500’s biggest gainers.

The online travel booking company reported results that beat expectations after Wednesday’s market close.

Hewlett Packard Co’s results also topped expectations, and the computer maker raised its 2014 profit view, though shares dipped 1.3 per cent to $29.79.

Of the 441 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings so far for last year’s fourth quarter, 65.3 per cent have beaten analyst expectations, according to Thomson Reuters. Since 1994, 63 percent of companies have beaten estimates.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 22.35 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 16,155.58.

The S&P 500 gained 3.42 points, or 0.19 per cent, to 1,843.2, and the Nasdaq Composite added 9.796 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 4,277.341.

In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top regional shares closed up 0.32 per cent to 1,343.12 points, led by a 0.59 per cent rise in France’s CAC 40 index to a five-and-a-half year high.

A recent trend of companies in France delivering decent profits and better outlooks, in contrast to last year when a weak economy hit earnings and caused the CAC to underperform, has lifted the French benchmark.

French-listed oil services group Technip and construction firm Saint-Gobain rose 2.5 per cent and 3.77 per cent, respectively, as banks lifted their target prices for the stocks after they reported results earlier in the week.

The dollar rose against a basket of currencies, on track for its first weekly gain in three weeks.

The dollar index rose 0.01 per cent to 80.292.

The euro rose 0.12 per cent to $1.3734.