Stocks climb as retail sales data dispels US growth worries

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Stock markets mostly rose Thursday, with strong retail sales data dispelling worries about the strength of the US economy.

Retail sales in the United States soared past analyst expectations in July, climbing by 1.0 percent, data showed.

A weaker than expected labor market report recently sparked market turmoil as it raised fears that the world's biggest economy was in worse health than anticipated.

"Today's news has been like turning on the light in a dark bedroom to discover that there are no scary monsters under the bed after all," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.

Wall Street's main stock indices rallied to end the day and the dollar rose more than one percent against the yen after the retail sales report was released.

Concerns that the US Federal Reserve had waited too long to begin cutting interest rates have seen speculation rise that it could make more than a quarter-point reduction at its next meeting in September.

But economist Michael Pearce of Oxford Economics said the retail sales numbers "signal continued resilience" and would keep the Fed on a path of gradual rate cuts.

Wednesday's consumer price index data -- the smallest 12-month increase since March 2021 at 2.9 percent -- solidified expectations that the Fed would take action in September.

Shares in Walmart rose 6.6 percent after the retail giant reported a rise in revenues and raised its outlook for the year.

Given its vast size and presence across the United States, Walmart's earnings are closely scrutinized for signs of the broader health of US consumers.

London's FTSE 100 stocks index rose 0.8 percent amid growing expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates further after the nation's economic output slowed slightly in the second quarter.

Britain's economy grew 0.6 percent in the April-June period, down from 0.7 percent in the first three months of the year, official data showed Thursday.

Paris and Frankfurt stocks closed with gains of more than one percent.

Asia's main indices rallied too, taking their cue from Wall Street gains on Wednesday's slowing inflation data.

Markets were also digesting positive growth figures from Japan -- with the world's fourth-largest economy reporting a better-than-expected GDP rise of 0.8 percent for the second quarter.

Shares in Alibaba ticked up 0.1 percent in New York trading despite the Chinese e-commerce giant reporting a 29 percent fall in quarterly profit to $3.3 billion, as it battles sluggish consumption during an economic slowdown.

Alibaba runs some of China's most popular e-commerce apps and its performance is widely considered an indicator of broader economic trends.

Data out of China showed the country's industrial production slowing and unemployment rising in July, while consumer spending marginally beat analysts' expectations.

Shares in Hong Kong ended the day flat.

- Key figures around 2010 GMT -

New York - Dow: UP 1.4 percent at 40,563.06 points (close)

New York - S&P 500: UP 1.6 percent at 5,543.22 (close)

New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 2.3 percent at 17,594.49 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 8,347.35 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.2 percent at 7,423.37 (close)

Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.7 percent at 18,183.24 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.7 percent at 4,807.77 (close)

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 36,726.64 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 17,109.14 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 2,877.36 (close)