The Dow Jones Industrial Average was poised for its worst day since October.

U.S. stocks advanced, lifting the Standard & Poors 500 Index to a new intraday high, after durable goods orders unexpectedly rose.

More than $41 billion has returned to U.S. exchange-traded funds that own shares in the past four weeks, reversing withdrawals that swelled to as much as $40.2 billion last month.

U.S. stocks erased losses, sending the Standard & Poors 500 Index above its record close, after companies from Macys Inc. to Home Depot Inc. reported higher- than-estimated earnings.

Stocks fluctuated, after the Standard & Poors 500 Index rebounded from its worst drop since June, as a private report showing companies added fewer jobs than forecast offset acceleration in service industries.