The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for March, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,470.1 billion, up 1.6% from February and up 3.7% from March 2018, the Census Bureau reported.

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for April, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $513.4billion, a decrease of 0.2% from the previous month, but 3.1% above April 2018. Total sales for the February through April period were up 3.0% from the same period a year ago. Retail trade sales were down 0.2% from March, but 2.8% above last year. Nonstore retailers were up 9.0% from April 2018, while sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, and book stores were down 8.5% from last year.

Wednesday, the Dow gained 115.97 points (0.45%) to finish at 25,648.02, the NASDAQ closed 87.65 points (1.13%) higher at 7,822.15, and the S&P 500 increased 16.55 points (0.58%) to 2,850.96. The Russell 2000 was up 5.21 points (0.34%) at 1,548.27, and the Wilshire 5000 climbed 171.38 points (0.58%) to 29,471.37.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 10/32, bringing its yield down to 2.377%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 19/32, decreasing its yield to 2.820%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1868, President Andrew Johnson was acquitted during the Senate impeachment proceedings, by one vote. In 1929, the first Academy Awards were held in Hollywood. In 1946, Jack Mullin showed the world the first magnetic tape recorder. In 1960, Theodore Maiman, at Hughes Research Laboratory in California, demonstrated the first working laser. In 1965, Spaghetti-O’s were sold for the first time. In 1975, Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 2000, former U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was nominated to run for U.S. Senator in New York. She was the first U.S. first lady to run for public office.