U.S. shares rose as investors welcomed a good retail sales report while remaining cautious following mixed news on the Greece debt talks. The S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) gained 0.2% to 2,109.92 at 11:50 a.m in New York. The 30-company Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) advanced 0.3 percent to 18,057, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) rose 0.2 percent to 4,494.
Most followed shares included Nike, Amazon, Krispy Kreme, Lululemon, Men’s Wearhouse, Amgen, HealthSouth, Box, eBay, Hess, and JetBlue Airways.
In consumer shares, Nike (NYSE:NKE) rose 0.4 percent to $103.71 after news late yesterday that the sportswear maker will replace rival Adidas to become official on-court uniform and apparel provider of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) gained 1.7 percent to $437.91 after the European Commission launched an antitrust investigation into certain practices in Amazon’s e-books business. Regulators are focusing on clauses that require them to offer Amazon terms that are at least as good as those offered to competitors.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE:KKD) rose 12.2 percent to $19.53 after the food company posted a stronger-than-expected adjusted profit of 24 cents a share late yesterday.
Lululemon (NASDAQ:LULU) fell 2.4 percent to $65.16. Founder Dennis “Chip” Wilson is selling his family’s entire stake in the retailer, parting ways with the yoga-gear maker after more than a year of tense relations.
Men's Wearhouse (NYSE:MY) jumped 6.4 percent to $62.25. Men's Wearhouse reported adjusted quarterly profit of 54 cents per share, beating estimates by 2 cents, with revenue also above forecasts. The clothing retailer also signed a deal with Macy's to operate tuxedo rental stores.
In health-care shares, Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) rose 1.1 percent to $157.33, a day after an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended approval of its cholesterol-lowering drug. The panel said the treatment should be approved for patients with dangerously high cholesterol levels, although it also said long-term studies are still needed.
HealthSouth (NYSE:HLS) gained 7.1 percent to $46.36 agreed to acquire Reliant Hospital Partners LLC for $730 million, expanding the company’s presence in Texas, Massachusetts and Ohio.
In technology stocks, Box (NYSE:BOX) jumped 7.2 percent to $19.07 after the cloud-storage company reported better-than-expected quarterly results and provided an upbeat outlook.
EBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) fluctuated between gains and losses. eBay and its soon-to-split PayPal unit are being questioned by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office, according to the New York Times. The paper said revised user policies—which allow contact with users by phone—raise issues under current consumer protection laws.
In energy stocks, Hess (NYSE:HES) rose 5.9 percent to $69.51 after saying it will create a joint venture–valued at $5.35 billion–of lucrative Bakken midstream assets with Global Infrastructure Partners.
JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) added 0.6 percent to $19.25. The passenger carrier company projects unit revenue to increase 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent in the second quarter, a stark contrast to rival airlines’ gloomier forecasts. The New York discounter said its unit revenue rose 1 percent in May as traffic and capacity also increased for the month.