US stocks open mostly up. S&P 500 aiming for fifth straight gain despite souring sentiment
U.S. stocks advanced Friday, with the broad S&P 500 attempting to extend its winning streak to five days, even after data show consumers continue to feel gloomier.
The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell further to 50.8, according to a preliminary reading for May, below economists's forecast for 53.5.
The final
April survey showed
the index down to 52.2, with consumers anticipating weaker income growth for themselves in the year ahead and that inflation would rise.
At 10:15 a.m. ET, the blue-chip Dow inched up 0.02%, or 10.06 points, to 42,332.81; the S&P 500 added 0.13%, or 7.66 points, to 5,924.59; and tech-laden Nasdaq rose 0.19%, or 35.68 points, to 19,148.00. The benchmark 10-year Treasury fell to 4.414%.
Stocks made a
comeback on Thursday
to end mostly higher, helped by encouraging economic data.
Retail sales in April edged up 0.1%, topping economists' forecasts for unchanged, and
producer prices fell
. Producer prices, or wholesale prices, measure what businesses are paying for their goods and services.
"While the news has been
dominated by the negative impact of tariffs
, (the) retail sales numbers show that consumers have continued to advance their retail spending even in the face of rising uncertainty," said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.
And with inflation easing, the Federal Reserve may have room to lower rates later this year, some economists said.
Corporate news
This story was updated with new information.
Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:
US stocks up. S&P 500 aims for fifth straight gain