NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks mostly climbed early Monday after data showing retail sales rose less than expected in February as markets seek to extend a rebound begun late last week.
In February, retail sales crept up by 0.2 percent from the previous month, less than the 0.7 percent expected by analysts, but an improvement over January’s 1.2 percent decline.
Meanwhile, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development trimmed its growth forecast for the United States, citing trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainties.
About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4 percent at 41,641.17.
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The broad-based S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent to 5,652.67, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index was unchanged at 17,749.49.
US stocks have been in retreat in recent weeks as President Donald Trump has announced myriad trade actions, implementing some tariffs and delaying other levies in a process that has left markets guessing and generated talk of a possible recession.
Among individual companies, PepsiCo rose 1.4 percent after announcing it will acquire the low-sugar soda brand Poppi for about $1.7 billion.
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