US stocks rise after companies deliver strong profits and oil prices retreat

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is rising Tuesday following strong profit reports for Equifax, Hasbro and other companies, while oil prices ease back after nearing their highest levels since the war with Iran began.The S&P 500 added 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 524 points, or 1%, as of 12:41 p.m. Eastern time, while more swings for the artificial-intelligence industry had the Nasdaq composite up a more modest 0.2%.Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term, and several companies delivered results for the latest quarter that were better than analysts expected. Big expectations for growth generally are what have allowed the U.S. stock market to hit records recently despite worries about high inflation, higher interest rates and other challenges weighing on Wall Street.Equifax rallied 10.3% for one of the market's biggest gains after reporting a bigger profit for the summer than analysts expected, despite high mortgage rates slowing