S&P 500 Futures Erase Loss as Retail Sales Beat Estimates

March 13 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock futures erased losses after government data showed retail sales increased in February by the most in five months, bolstering optimism in the world’s largest economy.

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index expiring in June were little changed at 1,546.8 at 8:32 a.m. in New York after losing as much as 0.3 percent earlier.

The 1.1 percent advance was more than forecast and followed a revised 0.2 percent gain in January, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The median projection in a Bloomberg survey called for a 0.5 percent advance. Sales excluding the volatile categories of automobiles and gasoline climbed 0.4 percent.