02:09 PM EST, 11/25/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were higher intraday as traders assessed the latest economic data and corporate earnings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.2% at 46,999.8 after midday Tuesday, while the S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 6,750.3. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.4% to 22,952.9. Among sectors, health care paced the gainers, while utilities saw the steepest decline.

In economic news, US producer prices rose 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis in September, rebounding from a 0.1% fall in August, delayed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Tuesday. The latest reading matched the consensus in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Annually, cost growth was unchanged at 2.7%, beating analysts' estimate for a 2.6% rise.

"The latest read on inflation is likely to intensify the ongoing debate among (Federal Reserve) officials as to their next policy move," Stifel said. "While inflation held steady in September, posting no additional upward momentum on an annual basis, the lack of downward improvement from a still-elevated level raises concerns any further policy easing could risk an acceleration of price pressures, or at the very least, stunt potential gains back towards the 2% target."

Retail sales rose less than expected in September as spending on motor vehicles turned negative, delayed data from the US Census Bureau showed Tuesday.

"Much like the September employment data, (the latest retail sales) report presents a binary interpretation of the health of the consumer," Jefferies said. "Rising concern about the labor market reported in various surveys of consumer confidence increases the risk that the pullback (in retail sales) may end up being more significant. This will continue to be the key question as we look at future retail sales reports."

US consumer confidence decreased 6.8 points sequentially to 88.7 in November, versus a Bloomberg-compiled poll indicating a 93.3 print, data from the Conference Board showed.

"Consumer confidence tumbled in November to its second lowest level since April after moving sideways for several months," Conference Board Chief Economist Dana Peterson said. "All five components of the overall index flagged or remained weak."

US Treasury yields were lower intraday, with the 10-year rate down 3.2 basis points at 4% and the two-year rate dropping 2.2 basis points to 3.47%.

In company news, Keysight Technologies ( KEYS ) shares soared 8.7%, the top gainer on the S&P 500. The company late Monday offered an upbeat quarterly outlook following stronger-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results.

Kohl's (KSS) shares were up nearly 36% intraday Tuesday after the department store chain improved its full-year outlook and sounded optimistic heading into the crucial holiday shopping season despite economic pressures that it said are weighing on consumers' purchasing power.

Abercrombie & Fitch ( ANF ) is projecting holiday-quarter growth after results in the just-ended three-month period topped Wall Street's expectations, with the retailer planning for a record in 2025 sales. The company's shares jumped 34%.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares fell 3.3%, the steepest decline on the Dow and among the worst on the S&P 500. The Information reported Monday that Meta Platforms ( META ) is contemplating using artificial intelligence chips designed by Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google ( GOOG ) unit.

Meta shares were up 3% after midday Tuesday, while Alphabet's class A and C shares rose more than 1.4% each.

Dell Technologies ( DELL ) , Workday (WDAY), HP (HPQ) and Zscaler ( ZS ) are scheduled to report results after the closing bell Tuesday.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 1.8% at $57.77 a barrel intraday. "Oil prices eased as oversupply worries outweighed concerns over Russian shipments remaining under sanctions amid stalled Ukraine peace talks," D.A. Davidson said in a note to clients.

Gold was up 1% at $4,136.60 per troy ounce, while silver rose 1.1% to $50.87 per ounce.