The US markets ended significantly higher on Friday amid positive reaction to the latest earnings news, as some traders look to pick up stocks at relatively reduced levels. Shares of Citigroup and UnitedHealth moved sharply higher after they reported second quarter earnings that exceeded street estimates. Traders also reacted positively to a slew of economic data, including a report from the Commerce Department showing retail sales jumped by more than expected in the month of June. The Commerce Department said retail sales shot up by 1.0 percent in June after edging down by a revised 0.1 percent in May. Street had expected retail sales to increase by 0.8 percent compared to the 0.3 percent dip originally reported for the previous month. Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales still surged by 1.0 percent following a 0.6 percent increase in May. Ex-auto sales were expected to climb by 0.6 percent.
A separate report from the University of Michigan unexpectedly showed a modest improvement in U.S. consumer sentiment in the month of July. The report showed the consumer sentiment index inched up to 51.1 in July from a record low 50.0 in June. The uptick surprised street, who had expected the index to edge down to 49.9. Inflation expectations also eased slightly, with one-year inflation expectations dipping to 5.2 percent in July from 5.3 in June and five-year inflation expectations slipping to 2.8 percent from 3.1 percent. The Labor Department also released a report showing U.S. import prices crept up by much less than expected in the month of June, with a continued surge in prices for fuel imports partly offset by a decrease in prices for non-fuel imports.
Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 658.09 points or 2.15 percent to 31,288.26, Nasdaq gained 201.24 points or 1.79 percent to 11,452.42 and S&P 500 was up by 72.78 points or 1.92 percent to 3,863.16.
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