October sales gains lift hopes for housing market

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In this Nov. 17, 2009 photo, A "sold" sign is seen outside a home in Los Angeles. October home sales are up 10.1 percent, beating expectations, as tax credit spurs sales. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

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October sales ga... In this Nov. 17, 2009 photo, A "sold" sign is seen outside a home in Los Angeles. October home sales are up 10.1 percent, beating expectations, as tax credit spurs sales. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Weak dollar, hom... In this Nov. 19, 2009 photo,Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Tyson Foods post... In this photo made Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, a Tyson Foods, Inc., truck is parked at a food warehouse in Little Rock, Ark. Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat producer, said Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, it lost money in its fiscal fourth quarter primarily on a hefty goodwill impairment charge.(AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
Economic survey:... FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2009 file photo, shoppers prepare to load their car with purchases from a Kmart store in Somerville, Mass. This week, which will be abbreviated due to Thanksgiving, investors will look to reports on home sales, unemployment and consumer confidence and the start of the holiday shopping season on Friday for more insight into the direction of the economy. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
Feds find associ... In this Oct. 14, 2009 photo, an air conditioner coil that has some corrosion at the home of James and Maria Ivory in Punta Gorda, Florida. The federal government says it finds a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year. (AP Photo/J. Meric)
Campbell Soup ea... A can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup is shown at a grocery store in Palo Alto, Calif., Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. Campbell Soup Co. reported Monday that it increased its first quarter profit by 17 percent with the help of increased efficiency in getting its products from its plants to store shelves. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Late payments on... FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, photo, a shopper pulls a credit card from her wallet to make a purchase at the checkout at the Best Buy in Mechanicsburg, Pa. For the first time in a decade, more people paid their credit card bills on time in the third quarter this year than in the second quarter.(AP Photo Carolyn Kaster)
Wall Street gain... The Wall Street entrance to the New York Stock Exchange
Home sales at 2-... A home is seen for sale in the Washington suburb of Takoma Park
Cadbury hits new... The Cadbury logo is seen behind barbed wire at the company's factory in Bournville, central England
Campbell Soup ra... Cans of Campbell's soup line the shelves at a local grocery store in Golden
Gold hits record... An employee takes gold ingots to be weighed in a room for final weighing and packaging at the Krastsvetmet plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk
Nokia phone marg... A woman uses her mobile telephone as she passes a Nokia advert in London
GM to present pl... Opel cars are parked outside the Opel assembly plant in Antwerp