Stocks open higher on strong retail sales numbers

NEW YORK (AP) — An upbeat report on retail sales is giving stocks a boost.

All three major indexes are opening slightly higher today after the Commerce Department reported that retail sales rose for the fifth straight month in November. The biggest jump in department store sales in two years gave the holiday shopping season a strong start.

Investors were also encouraged after the Senate voted late Monday to advance the nearly $900 billion tax-cut legislation toward final passage. A vote that would send the proposal to the House is expected Tuesday.

At the opening, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 8, or 0.1 percent, to 11,437. The Standard and Poor’s 500 index is up 2, or 0.1 percent, to 1,242. The Nasdaq composite index is up 4, or 0.2 percent, at 2,629.