Wall Street Weekly Rally Extends to Fifth Consecutive Week, Retail Sales In Focus

Barry Adams
14 Feb, 2025
New York City

Stock market indexes on Wall Street edged higher amid continued optimism about earnings on the final trading day of the week. 

The S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite advanced a fraction, and they gained more than 1% after a week of trading. 

Retail sales rose at an annual pace of 4.2% in January, slower than 4.4% in December, according to the data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

On a monthly basis, retail sales contracted 0.9% in the month following an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in December.

Monthly retail sales declined at the fastest pace since March 2023, and sales were negatively impacted by severe weather across the nation and multiple fires in Los Angeles, California. 

Investors have remained positive despite the growing tariff tantrum and reversals from the White House, largely because of a string of positive earnings from leading corporations.

 

U.S. Indexes and Treasury Yields

The S&P 500 index increased 0.1% to 6,120.23, the Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.1% to 19,957.59, and the Russell 2000 index was up 1.6% to 2,291.44.

The yield on 2-year Treasury notes edged lower to 4.28%, 10-year Treasury notes decreased to 4.47%, and 30-year Treasury bonds declined to 4.69%.

WTI crude oil increased $0.27 to $71.56 a barrel, and natural gas prices edged higher by $0.09 to $3.73 a thermal unit.

Gold decreased by $4.58 to $2,926.63 an ounce, and silver edged up by $0.86 to $33.23.

The dollar index, which weighs the US currency against a basket of foreign currencies, decreased 0.38 to 106.69 and traded at a two-year high.

 

U.S. Stock Movers 

Airbnb Inc. jumped 14% to $161.01, and the online vacation rental company reported sharply higher revenue and earnings in the fourth quarter. 

Coinbase Global Inc. advanced 2.9% to $289.80, and the cryptocurrency-focused online platform operator said fourth-quarter revenue soared 88%. 

Moderna Inc. declined 4.5% to $30.40 after the vaccine maker reported mixed results in the fourth quarter. 

The company reported a loss of $2.91 per share in the fourth quarter but retained its annual product sales estimate between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion.

Hyatt Hotels declined 0.7% to $146.49 after the upscale hotel chain operator swung to a loss in the fourth quarter. 

Revenue dropped to $1.60 billion from $1.66 billion, net income swung to a loss of $56 million from a profit of $26 million, and loss per diluted share was 58 cents, compared to a profit of 25 cents a year ago.

For fiscal 2025, the company estimated net income between $190 million and $240 million, compared to $1.30 billion a year ago, and net room growth between 6% and 7%, compared to 7.8% a year earlier.