Traders largely brushed off the day's other economic report, the National Association of Home Builders' monthly confidence gauge, which remained stuck at an 18-month low in September.

FORBES

With Wells Fargo, a big bank, the National Association of Homebuilders publishes a monthly index of builders' perceptions of the housing market.

ECONOMIST: America's housing market is losing its effervescence

Elsewhere, home builders' confidence in July had the biggest monthly jump in nearly a decade, another sign of optimism in the housing market.

WSJ: Stocks Shake Off Fed's Dour View