Stocks are up slightly on Wall Street at midday as the market steadies after a day of big losses.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 129 points Thursday, a day after dropping 800 points as investors grew more concerned about a slowdown in the global economy.
A report showing stronger-than-expected retail sales and a solid profit outlook from Walmart appear to have allayed some concerns about the strength of the U.S. economy.
Walmart rose 4.4%. Makers of consumer products also rose. Kellogg climbed 2.6% and Procter & Gamble added 1.7%.
The S&P 500 rose 14 points, or 0.5%, to 2,855. The Dow gained 0.5% to 25,602. The Nasdaq rose 0.3% to 7,794.
Bond prices rose again. The yield on 10-year Treasury slipped to 1.54% following a sharp decline Wednesday.
