Traders walk the floor during morning trading at the New York Stock Exchange on May 14, 2024.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
The S&P 500 edged up Tuesday as investors assessed the health of the consumer following weak retail sales data.
The broad market index rose less 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite teetered below breakeven. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 130 points, or 0.3%.
Retail sales rose 0.1% in May, versus the 0.2% growth forecast by economists polled by Dow Jones. Sales rose 2.3% on a year-over-year basis.
“Stock prices are going up without the help of rate cuts because corporate profits and the economy continue to expand,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Independent Advisor Alliance. “Without the consumer, this bull market is going to stall out, so investors need to see more consumer spending and not a material slowdown, which this report could be indicating.”
Treasury yields fell following the retail sales report, cushioning stock prices a bit with investors hoping for some economic slowing to spur the Federal Reserve to cut rates.
Nvidia and Broadcom continued their march toward record-setting highs, gaining about 1% each. Some semiconductor stocks rose in sympathy, with Qualcomm and Taiwan Semiconductor last up 2.5% each. Micron Technology gained 5%.
Those moves follow a positive session on Wall Street that propelled the S&P and Nasdaq to all-time highs and record closing levels.
Several Federal Reserve officials including Boston Fed President Susan Collins and Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin are expected to speak at events across the country throughout the day.
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