Futures extend gains after July retail sales data

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures extended gains on Thursday as retail sales data for July indicated resilient consumer spending, allaying fears of an imminent recession in the world's biggest economy.

A Commerce Department report showed retail sales rose 1% in July, compared with 0.3 growth expected by economists polled by Reuters.



Separately, a Labor Department report showed the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits came in at 227,000 for the week ended Aug. 10, compared with an estimate of 235,000.

At 8:30 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 249 points, or 0.62%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 30.75 points, or 0.56% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 124.5 points, or 0.65%.

Source: Investing.com