Stocks edge higher on retail spending gains (AP)

NEW YORK ? Stocks are closing with modest gains as investors balance strong U.S. retail sales with Europe's lingering debt crisis.

Technology stocks led the market higher. Hewlett-Packard rose 3.4 percent, the most among the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average.

Retail sales increased 0.5 percent from the previous month, a faster rate than economists expected. In Europe, the yield on Italy's 10-year bond jumped back above 7 percent, a sign that the crisis is not yet over.

The Dow rose 17 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 12,096 Tuesday. The S&P 500 6, or 0.5 percent, to 1,258. The Nasdaq added 29, or 1.1 percent, to 2,686.

Two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was below average at 3.5 billion shares.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111115/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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