World Week Ahead: Eyes on US consumer

World Week Ahead: Eyes on US consumer
By Margreet Dietz Aug. 11 (BusinessDesk) - Investors will watch the latest US retail sales data to gauge the strength of the American consumer, who accounts for more than two-thirds of the nation’s spending. On Friday Wall Street rallied, helped by an easing of tension over Ukraine and better-than-expected earnings from companies including Coach, Gap, and Nvidia. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1 percent, as did the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, while the Nasdaq Composite Index increased 0.8 percent. Friday&rsq...