US stock indexes rally following solid retail sales report

By DAMIAN J. TROISE

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rallied on Wall Street in midday trading on Thursday as a solid retail sales report injected more optimism into markets following the signing of an initial trade deal between the U.S. and China.

Consumers have been the backbone of economic growth and the government’s December report on retail sales showed that they continued spending at a healthy pace. Investors are also weighing a mixed bag of corporate earnings.

The good economic news follows the signing of the “Phase 1” trade deal between the U.S. and China that puts the nations on a clearer path to ending their 18-month long trade war. The pact eases some sanctions on China, which has agreed to step up its purchases of U.S. farm products and other goods.

Technology companies were the clear leaders. Many of the companies stand to benefit from progress in trade relations because they are reliant on China for sales and supplies. Microsoft rose 1% and Cisco Systems gained 1.4%.

A mix of retailers and consumer product makers also made solid gains. Home Depot rose 1.4% and Hanesbrands rose 1.7%.

Financial companies, including banks, also rose.

Utilities and real estate companies lagged the market in another sign that investors were confidently shifting more money into riskier holdings.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.82% from 1.78% late Wednesday. Bond prices made a significant move lower, sending yields higher, following the encouraging retail sales report.

KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index rose 0.5% as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 161 points, or 0.6%, to 29,192. The Dow closed above 29,000 for the first time on Wednesday. The Nasdaq rose 0.5%. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks outpaced other indexes and rose 1%.

Markets in Europe and Asia were mixed.

EARNINGS ROUNDUP: The first heavy week of corporate earnings reports rolled along with banks mostly finishing their reporting. Investment bank Morgan Stanley rose 6.8% after reporting a surprisingly good jump in fourth-quarter profits on the strength of its trading desks. Bank of New York Mellon fell 7.8% after reporting disappointing revenue.

Paint and coatings maker PPG Industries fell 2.9% after falling short of Wall Street’s profit forecasts. Aluminum producer Alcoa shed 10.2% after reporting a surprisingly sharp loss.

HOLIDAY GLITTER: Signet Jewelers skyrocketed 39.8% after the diamond jewelry retailer significantly raised its fourth-quarter profit forecast. The company made the change because a strong holiday shopping season that will push a key sales measure into a surprising gain for the quarter.