By Staff Reporters

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Stocks Rise as Investors Digest Economic Data

THE DATA: U.S. retail sales jumped 3% in January as consumers broadly boosted spending on vehicles, furniture, clothing and dining out, adding to signs that economic growth picked up at the start of the year. Last month’s seasonally adjusted spending increase was the biggest since March 2021 and followed two months of declines at the end of last year, the Commerce Department said yesterday. Job growth surged and high inflation cooled slightly in January after rising prices, increased borrowing costs and uncertainty about the economy caused households to pull back on spending late last year.

The unexpectedly strong employment report last month and still solid wage gains bode well for consumer spending, and some economists think economic growth could be picking up. The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates aggressively since last March in an attempt to slow the economy and bring down inflation. The consumer-price index climbed 6.4% in January from a year earlier, down slightly from 6.5% in December but still well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation target.

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THE MARKETS: U.S. stocks were higher to end the day, as investors continued to wrestle with the implications of persisting inflation and a tight labor market on Fed monetary policy actions. The economic calendar came in heavy, as retail sales rose much more than anticipated in January, which may be further complicating Fed perception, home-builder sentiment improved by the most since the summer of 2013, and business inventories continued to rise.

However, industrial production came in below forecasts, mortgage applications dropped, and New York manufacturing remained in contraction territory. Q4 earnings season continued to roll on, with AirBnB topping estimates and offering upbeat guidance, and Kraft Heinz also exceeding earnings estimates, while Devon Energy missed profit projections.

Treasury yields were mostly higher, and the U.S. dollar rallied, while crude oil and gold prices were lower.

Asian stocks finished mostly lower, and markets in Europe traded higher as investors digested further inflation data in the region.

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