Wednesday

U.S. stocks added to yesterday's gains as retailers' strength offset sagging energy stocks. Retail giant, Target, and women's apparel retailer, Chico's, posted encouraging second-quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations. This news helped other retailers post nice gains for the day. Early this morning oil hit a five-week low, which hurt energy stocks, making it the S&P 500's worst performing sector. DJIA +9.69 Nasdaq +6.26 S&P 500 +1.62.