* Better-than-expected US retail sales boost risk appetite
* US stocks at fresh 2009 highs as materials sector gains
* Oil prices jump 3 pct to near $71 per barrel
* Dollar, Treasuries fall as safe-haven appeal dimmed (Updates to U.S. markets close)
By Walter Brandimarte
NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Surprisingly robust U.S. retail sales stoked investors' appetite for risk on Tuesday, driving up stocks and oil prices while supporting comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke that the U.S. recession is likely over.
The strong data reduced the safe-haven appeal of Treasuries and the dollar, pulling yields of U.S. government debt back from two-month lows and sending the greenback lower against other major currencies.
U.S. retail sales jumped 2.7 percent in August, the fastest pace of growth in 3-1/2 years and outpacing analysts' expectations for a 2.0 percent rise. For details, see [ID:nN15548319]
U.S. consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of the economy.
"The retail sales number shows more strength for consumers than we were thinking," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Equity Markets in Jersey City, New Jersey. "The numbers are good for the market."
Data showing that New York state manufacturing activity touched a near two-year high and a report showing prices received by U.S. producers rose faster than expected last month also fueled investor optimism about the economy.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington, on the anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, said the U.S. recession "is very likely over." [ID:nN1523355]
Stock market gains in New York were tempered by
disappointing quarterly results from electronics retail chain
Best Buy Co Inc
"The retail sales data is another positive for those looking for an economic rebound, but the defaults are a wake-up call for those expecting a V-shaped recovery," said Elliot Spar, options market strategist at Stifel Nicolaus & Co in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> closed up 56.61 points, or 0.59 percent, at 9,683.41, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> edged up 3.29 points, or 0.31 percent, at 1,052.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 10.86 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,102.64.
Best Buy shares slid 5.17 percent to $38.32, and
supermarket operator Kroger Co
JPMorgan Chase & Co
In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top shares closed 0.14 percent higher at 992.37 points, gaining ground for the seventh time in eight sessions. The robust U.S. retail sales rekindled hopes of a speedy economic recovery, and banking stocks paced the gains.
"Good macro figures are piling up," said Jacques Henry, analyst at Louis Capital Markets, in Paris.
"There has been no negative signal on the macro front in a while, and the economic recovery is happening quickly. Long-only investors are coming back en masse," he said.
Emerging stock markets were also on the rise, with the benchmark MSCI stock index <.MSCIEF> up 1.06 percent.
The MSCI's all-country world stock index <.MIWD00000PUS> rose 0.25 percent, resuming a seven-session winning streak that had been interrupted by Monday's losses.
Oil prices also soared on the retail data and Bernanke's comments.
U.S. crude for October delivery
Traders have been looking to equities markets and broader economic data for signs of a turnaround that could bolster flagging oil demand.
"Once the S&P (500 index) firmed and when Bernanke said recession was near an end, it seemed to send crude back up above $70," said Gene McGillian, analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.
DOLLAR, TREASURIES PRICES DOWN
Meanwhile, Treasury debt prices and the U.S. dollar weakened as the gains in global stock markets reduced their traditional appeal as a safe haven.
The ICE Futures U.S. Dollar Index <.DXY>, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, dipped 0.3 percent after earlier touching its lowest since September 2008.
The euro
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note