Stocks climb higher

Stocks ticked higher on Wall Street Wednesday as hopes for a resilient economy jousted with worries about inflation after a much stronger reading than expected on U. S. retail sales.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3% after swinging from early losses to gains through the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Averaged edged up by 38 points, or 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite rose a more forceful 0.9%.

Sales at U. S. retailers jumped by more last month than expected, even as shoppers contended with higher interest rates on credit cards and other loans. The surprising strength offers hope that the most important part of the U. S. economy, consumer spending, can stay afloat despite worries about a possible recession looming. It’s the latest piece of data to show the economy remains more resilient than feared.

At the same time, though, the strong buying potentially adds more fuel to inflation, which a report this week showed is cooling by less than expected. Upward pressure on inflation could force the Federal Reserve to stay more aggressive in keeping interest rates high.

High rates can drive down inflation, but they also drag on investment prices and raise the risk of a painful recession.

“Will it lead to that traditional recession or a shallow recession, or will we power through it and have more strong growth with still-high rates?” asked Tom Hainlin, national investment strategist at U. S. Bank Wealth Management. “That’s still the unknown, which is how resilient can the consumer be in this higher for longer” rate environment.