Stock Market Today: Dow Opens Higher After Scott Bessent Comments, Weak Retail Sales — Live Updates

U.S. stocks rose modestly to start the week, building on a Friday rebound.

Markets have been highly volatile recently, with President Trump’s tariff threats pushing the S&P 500 into its first correction since late 2023. Investors had further challenging news to process Monday.

After indexes rebounded somewhat Friday, Scott Bessent said over the weekend that “corrections are healthy,” making some investors nervous. The Treasury secretary said Sunday he wasn’t worried about a market downturn, telling NBC News, “They’re normal. What’s not healthy is straight up.”

Meantime, Commerce Department data indicated retail sales edged up by a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in February from January. Economists had forecast a gain of 0.6% in a Wall Street Journal survey.

The three major indexes edged up. The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Dow industrials all gained less than 0.5%.

Benchmark Treasury yields stood at about 4.30%. Ten-year yields settled Friday at 4.307%.

Gold prices hovered below $3,000 a troy ounce, having topped that level late Thursday for the first time.

Overseas stocks gained after China reported robust economic activity for the start of year and announced plans to stimulate its economy. The Stoxx Europe 600 edged up, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose more strongly.

Bitcoin prices traded above $83,000.

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