Midday Report: Stocks Show Gains Despite Mixed Economic Data

Stocks gained midday Tuesday after data showed U.S. consumer inflation rose in October, industrial production slipped and homebuilder sentiment retreated, while investor saw strong retail earnings. Walmart (WMT) shares surged close to 5 percent higher after third-quarter earnings at the world's biggest retailer came in at $1.03 a share beating forecasts. Revenue of over $117 billion missed forecasts by a slight margin. The Consumer Price Index, after declining for two months because of lower energy and import costs, increased by 0.2 percent in October. Industrial production for October fell by 0.2 percent, after two months of declines, but manufacturing output showed some improvement, rising by 0.4%. The NAHB Housing Market Index, an index of homebuilder sentiment, slipped in November by 3 points to 62. And Home Depot (HD) shares jumped more than 3 percent after the home-improvement retailer's third-quarter earnings and revenue topped Wall Street forecasts. Same-store sales in the period rose 7.3%.