Stocks rallied on Tuesday as reassuring corporate earnings and data pointing to further stabilization in the housing sector encouraged investors to wade back into equities after the recent sell-off, helping the S&P 500 cap its best two-day run-up since October.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> shot up 111.32 points, or 1.09 percent, to end unofficially at 10,296.85. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 14.13 points, or 1.30 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,103.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> jumped 18.86 points, or 0.87 percent, to close unofficially at 2,190.06.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Jan Paschal)