Thursday's early afternoon trade: stocks up on robust retail data but Greece weighs

US stocks were higher in afternoon trading on Thursday, helped by strong retail sales data, but gains were limited by news that the International Monetary Fund had broken off debt talks with Greece. The Dow Industrial average touched its highest in six trading days earlier in the session after data showed that retail sales surged in May, the latest sign that a recovery in the US economy was finally gathering steam.
Talks between Greece and its lenders have been deadlocked over the country's rejection of demands for reforms as conditions for releasing frozen bailout funds. The IMF said its delegation had halted negotiations in Brussels and flown home because of major differences with Athens.
US retail sales increased 1.2 percent in May, topping the 1.1 percent growth expected by economists, as households boosted purchases of automobiles and a range of other goods even as they paid a bit more for gasoline. "I think the upward revisions in March and April are more important because they show that consumers are showing up and spending money," said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Florida.
At 13:05 pm ET (1705 GMT), the Dow Jones industrial average was up 52.18 points, or 0.29 percent, at 18,052.58, the S&P 500 was up 4.56 points, or 0.22 percent, at 2,109.76 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 4.16 points, or 0.08 percent, at 5,080.85.