The U.S. Census Bureau announced that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for September, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,314.6 billion, up 0.7% from August and up 0.8% from September 2015.

Tuesday, the Dow closed 54.37 points (0.29%) higher at 18,923.06, the NASDAQ gained 57.23 points (1.10%) to finish at 5,275.62, and the S&P 500 increased 16.19 points (0.75%) to 2,180.39. The Russell 2000 was up 3.55 points (0.27%) at 1,302.14, and the Wilshire 5000 climbed 162.72 points (0.72%) to 22,759.25.

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares traded, with advancing issues outnumbering declining issues more than 2 to 1. On the NASDAQ, 2.9 billion shares changed hands, with 3 advancers for every 2 decliners.

ON THIS DATE: In 1776, British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution. In 1907, Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state. In 1915, Coca-Cola had its prototype for a contoured bottle patented. The bottle made its commercial debut the next year. In 1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations for the first time. In 1969, the U.S. Army announced that several had been charged with mas.sacre and the subsequent cover-up in the My Lai mas.sacre in Vietnam on March 16, 1968. In 1973, Skylab 3 carrying a crew of three astronauts, was launched from Cape Canaveral on an 84-day mission. In 1973, U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law. In 1981, a vaccine for hepatitis B was approved. The vaccine had been developed at Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research. In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court said that union members could file discrimination lawsuits against employers even when labor contracts require arbitration. In 1999, Johnny Depp received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, Bill Clinton became the first serving U.S. president to visit Communist Vietnam.