Stock Market Today: Dow Jones Up 742 Points on UNH Results

Stocks ended the day higher Tuesday as investors digested the latest retail sales data and a fresh batch of corporate earnings reports. Blue chips outperformed hands down on an impressive win for the insurance giant UnitedHealth Group (UNH), although not all of the other results of the day were equally well received.

Starting with economic calendarBefore the bell, data from Census Office showed retail sales were flat from May to June, beating economists’ estimates for a 0.3% monthly decline. The report also showed retail sales in May were revised up to a 0.3% increase from an initial reading of 0.1%.

To be sure, the June data shows “signs of weakness on the fringes, where low- and middle-income consumers are retreating, such as the weakness in spending on food services and food service establishments in the first half of this year,” he says. Bill Adamschief economist at Comerica Bank. However, there was a solid increase in spending on goods in Q2 and “the economy is in pretty good shape,” he added.

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