Retail Stocks Fall, Penney’s Jumps

Retail stocks fell 0.4 percent on Wall Street today, but the J.C. Penney Co. Inc. rollercoaster continued and investors pushed the stock up 8.5 percent to $8.14 after an analyst offered a slightly better take on the ailing department store’s sales outlook.

The S&P Retailing Industry Group slipped 3.75 points to 890.88 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5 percent, or 69.80 points, to 15,615.55.