03:49 PM EDT, 07/16/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were higher ahead of Tuesday's close as markets assessed official retail sales data for June and the latest corporate earnings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.8% at 40,932.4, while the S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 5,662.8. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.1% to 18,485.2. Among sectors, industrials led the gainers, while technology and communication services were in the red.

US retail sales were flat last month following an upwardly revised 0.3% rise in May. Analysts were modeling for a 0.3% decrease, according to a consensus survey compiled by Bloomberg.

The US 10-year yield fell 6.1 basis points to 4.17%, while the two-year rate dropped 2.3 basis points to 4.43%.

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) , Morgan Stanley ( MS ) and Bank of America ( BAC ) posted better-than-projected second-quarter results. Charles Schwab's ( SCHW ) second-quarter sales rose less than expected.

Omnicom Group ( OMC ) and J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) are among the companies scheduled to report their latest results after the closing bell.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped 1.3% to $80.86 a barrel.