Stock indexes are mixed today, with the Dow Jones Industrials reaching a new high. Weaker-than-expected reports on Dec retail sales and Q4 employment cost index have bond yields lower, supporting the case for Fed interest rate cuts. Earnings season shows 79% of S&P 500 companies beating expectations, with Q4 earnings expected to grow by +8.4%.

US retail sales stagnated in December, indicating potential weakness in consumer spending. The Q4 employment cost index rose by +0.7% q/q, lower than expectations, marking the smallest increase in 4.5 years. Expectations for Jan nonfarm payrolls, unemployment rate, and average hourly earnings are also outlined.

Overseas stock markets are up, with the Euro Stoxx 50, China’s Shanghai Composite, and Japan’s Nikkei Stock 225 all seeing gains. Interest rates are down, with the 10-year T-note yield at a 3-week low of 4.150%. European government bond yields are also lower, with the 10-year German bund yield down to 2.818%.

Stock movers include Western Digital, Seagate Technology, Intel, Micron Technology, and more down, while Ichor Holdings, Spotify, Datadog, Marriott International, and others are up. Earnings reports for companies like Coca-Cola, CVS Health, Gilead Sciences, and more are expected.

Cintas is up more than +3% after reports of potential acquisition of UniFirst Corp. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co is down more than -13% after missing Q4 earnings expectations. Amentum Holdings, WESCO International, Xylem Inc, and S&P Global Inc are among the companies reporting declines in stock prices.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: Stocks Mixed on Sluggish US Retail Sales News