NEW YORK, Dec 23 (Reuters) - U.S stocks rose on Tuesday as investors digested the final figures for third-quarter gross domestic product and awaited November data on the health of the housing industry.
* Surprises in the figures for November existing and new home sales could have a stronger-than-usual impact because of the holiday-thinned trading volumes.
* The GDP figure, the government's final estimate for that quarter, confirmed that the economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.5 percent as economists had expected. Focus has shifted to the current quarter which is expected to be much weaker.
* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 60.29 points, or 0.71 percent, to 8,580.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 6.40 points, or 0.73 percent, at 878.03. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> edged up 9.53 points, or 0.62 percent, at 1,541.88.
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)