Investing.com - U.S. stock prices rose on Tuesday after retail sales came in better than expected, though fears political brinkmanship may stall debt ceiling debates dampened gains.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.20%, the S&P 500 index was up 0.11%, while the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.22%.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported earlier that retail sales rose 0.5% in December, outpacing expectations for a 0.2% gain.
The news sent stocks gaining though equities did see headwinds.
A separate report showed that producer prices in the U.S. fell 0.2% last month compared to expectations for a 0.1% decline.
Also in the U.S., the Empire State manufacturing index declined to -7.8 in January from a reading of -7.3 in December.
Analysts had expected the index to improve to 2.0 this month.
Meanwhile, stocks suffered setbacks after fears continued to build that political bickering may mark the upcoming debt ceiling talks in Congress.
President Barack Obama on Monday urged Republicans to agree to lift the borrowing limit though he stopped short of offering concrete concessions in return, sparking fears that the brinkmanship that marked the 2011 debt ceiling debates will return next month.
Markets roiled when the U.S. nearly hit its debt ceiling two years ago, and fears of a repeat performance this year kept investors out of equities and camped out in safe-haven dollar positions.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included Caterpillar, up 0.90%, Travelers Companies, up 0.75%, and Bank of America, up 0.70%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Hewlett-Packard, down 2.95%, American Express, down 0.75%, and Pfizer, down 0.71%.
European indices, meanwhile, finished largely lower.
After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.50%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.29%, while Germany's DAX 30 finished down 0.69%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 finished up 0.15%.
On Wednesday, the U.S. will release government data on consumer inflation, industrial production and capacity utilization.
The country will publish official data on crude oil stockpiles, while the Federal Reserve is to publish its Beige Book, which analyzes current economic conditions.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.20%, the S&P 500 index was up 0.11%, while the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.22%.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported earlier that retail sales rose 0.5% in December, outpacing expectations for a 0.2% gain.
The news sent stocks gaining though equities did see headwinds.
A separate report showed that producer prices in the U.S. fell 0.2% last month compared to expectations for a 0.1% decline.
Also in the U.S., the Empire State manufacturing index declined to -7.8 in January from a reading of -7.3 in December.
Analysts had expected the index to improve to 2.0 this month.
Meanwhile, stocks suffered setbacks after fears continued to build that political bickering may mark the upcoming debt ceiling talks in Congress.
President Barack Obama on Monday urged Republicans to agree to lift the borrowing limit though he stopped short of offering concrete concessions in return, sparking fears that the brinkmanship that marked the 2011 debt ceiling debates will return next month.
Markets roiled when the U.S. nearly hit its debt ceiling two years ago, and fears of a repeat performance this year kept investors out of equities and camped out in safe-haven dollar positions.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included Caterpillar, up 0.90%, Travelers Companies, up 0.75%, and Bank of America, up 0.70%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Hewlett-Packard, down 2.95%, American Express, down 0.75%, and Pfizer, down 0.71%.
European indices, meanwhile, finished largely lower.
After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.50%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.29%, while Germany's DAX 30 finished down 0.69%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 finished up 0.15%.
On Wednesday, the U.S. will release government data on consumer inflation, industrial production and capacity utilization.
The country will publish official data on crude oil stockpiles, while the Federal Reserve is to publish its Beige Book, which analyzes current economic conditions.