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

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is rising Tuesday following reports showing strong profits for Equifax, Hasbro and other companies during the summer, while oil prices eased back after nearing their highest levels since the war with Iran began.The S&P 500 climbed 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 667 points, or 1.3%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, while more swings for the artificial-intelligence industry had the Nasdaq composite up a more modest 0.5%.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 higher 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 10.7% for one of the market's biggest gains after reporting a bigger profit for the summer than analysts expected, des