While you were sleeping US consumer surprises

Mon, 13 May 2013

By Margreet Dietz May 14 (BusinessDesk) - The Standard & Poor's 500 Index touched a fresh record high, as US retail sales unexpectedly rose in April, before giving up gains. In afternoon trading in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.21 percent, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.07 percent. The Nasdaq Composite Index eked out a 0.07 percent gain. The S&P 500 touched a record high of 1,636.0 earlier in the session. Retail sales posted a surprise gain last month, increasing 0.1 percent following a 0.5 percent decline in March. Economis...

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