Wall Street closes little changed despite robust retail sales data

Major equity indexes in the U.S. failed to take advantage of the higher-than-expected retail sales data and easing tensions between the United States and North Korea and closed the day virtually flat.

Disappointing results from big companies like Coach and Advance Auto Parts weighed on the consumer discretionary sector, pushing the S&P 500 sub-index. SPLRCD 0.8% lower, neutralizing any potential positive effects of the upbeat retail sales numbers. Commenting on the data, "The retail sales numbers that came out today - that's nothing but good news. We have a positive surprise for this month and upward revisions. People are spending but they're not spending on the same things. From a company level perspective, there are winners and losers." Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial in Waltham, Massachusetts, told Reuters.

On the other hand, according to North Korea's state media, their leader Kim Jong Un decided to delay firing missiles towards Guam as he wanted to see what the United States was going to do next, easing the concerns and helping the risk-appetite remain alive.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 5.28 points, or 0.02%, to close the day at 21,998.99. The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged at 2,463.75 while the Nasdaq Composite lost 7.22 points, or 0.1%, to 6,333.01.

Headlines from the U.S. session:

• US Dollar retreats from 2-week highs, stays positive on day
• Fed and dollar to shift on today's data? - Scotiabank
• US Bonds: We do not see a major sell-off this year - Danske Bank
• Atlanta Fed: GDPNow model forecast for real GDP growth in Q3 is 3.7%
• US: Demand for new homes strengthens in August - Wells Fargo
• NY Fed: Household debt rose by $114 billion (0.9%) to $12.84 trillion Q2 of 2017
• USTR official: US, Canada & Mexico are well prepared to meet aggressive NAFTA timetable
• US: Retail sales for July 2017 were $478.9 billion, an increase of 0.6% from June
• NY Fed: Business conditions index climbed fifteen points to 25.2, highest level in nearly 3 years
• US: Prices for US imports edged up 0.1% in July
• US: Manufacturers’ & trade inventories estimated at $1,869.3 bln, up 0.5% from May 2017
• US: Consumer demand started the third quarter on a strong footing - Wells Fargo