U.S. stock benchmarks traded mixed early Tuesday, with the Dow industrial’s gains supported by a rise in shares of home-improvement retailer Home Depot Inc. , as investors parsed a stronger-than-expected rise in October retail sales. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% at 36,157, the S&P 500 index was flat at 4,685, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was off around 0.1% at 15,835. Retail sales jumped 1.7% in October, the government said, surpassing forecasts for a 1.5% rise and logging the biggest gain March when households received billions in federal stimulus money.
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