Stock Market Today: S&P 500 extends winning streak on signs of economic strength

The S&P 500 closed higher for the sixth straight session Thursday, as fears of an economic slowdown were dispelled following stronger-than-expected labor market and retail sales data.  

At 16:00 ET (20:00 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 555 points, or 1.4%, the S&P 500 rose 1.6%, and the NASDAQ Composite rose 2.3%. Retail sales suggest consumer resilience 

U.S. retail sales rose by a larger than expected amount in July, pointing to resilience in consumer spending activity, allaying fears of an imminent recession in the world's biggest economy.

Retail sales rose by 1% last month, accelerating from an unchanged reading in June, according to Commerce Department data released earlier Thursday, more than the 0.4% expected.

On an annual basis, retail sales  rose by 2.7%, having increased by a revised lower 2.0% in June.    "A stronger than expected retail sales report in July underscores the ongoing resilient nature of the American consumer," Stifel said in a Thursday note. 

On the labor market front, the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, reinforcing concerns of a gradual softening of the labor market.

Softer CPI and producer price index readings this week suggested inflation was cooling, raising expectations of an interest rate cut in September.  Walmart surges on earnings, Home Depot shrugs softer guidance, Cisco shines

Walmart (NYSE:WMT ) stock rose nearly 7% after the retail giant, often considered as a bellwether for retail demand, reported its second-quarter earnings on Thursday, topping analyst expectations, driven by robust e-commerce growth and improved margins.

"Walmart’s investments over the past decade have allowed it to move beyond a low-price model to a 'price + convenience + assortment' offering," Truist said, paving the way for continued market share gains continues.

The earnings come after rival Home Depot (NYSE:HD ) rose 1% despite warning of a weaker annual profit and clocked a bigger-than-expected drop in its annual comparable sales earlier this week. 

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO ) stock gained more than 5=6% after the networking equipment giant reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and announced a restructuring plan.

While growth for Cisco is expected to be "modest in F25 ex. Splunk (NASDAQ:SPLK ) given the difficult compare it is trending in the right direction and should accelerate in the out years," UBS said in a note. 

Tapestry (NYSE:TPR ) gained more than 3% after delivering quarterly results that topped Wall Street estimates.   Ulta gets Buffett vote of confidence, Nike wins place in Ackman's Pershing Square portfolio

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA ) stock soared 11% after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKb ) reported a new stake in the cosmetics company. 

The Buffett backing a confidence booster, Oppenheimer said in a. Thursday note, but even as the latest pop in the share price raises the bar for ULTA's expectations due Aug. 29, buying the dips still makes sense.

"With shares now trading back towards the high $360s and the potential for a miss and guide-down with ULTA's Q2 report on 8/29, we would still be positioned to take advantage of dips from here," Oppenheimer added.

Nike (NYSE:NKE ) stock gained 5% after Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square revealed a position in the sports footwear retailer

 (Peter Nurse, Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)

Source: Investing.com