Stock futures inch higher on overseas gains, retail sales

U.S. stock futures are creeping higher as investors return from a long holiday weekend to find good news on retail sales. Overseas markets are also higher. The dollar is weaker, giving a boost to commodities prices. Bond prices are lower. Data released Monday show holiday shoppers spent a little more this season, a good sign that consumers are feeling better about the economy. Figures from MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which track all forms of payment, show retail sales rose 3.6 percent from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, compared with a 2.3 percent drop a year ago. Ahead of the market's open, Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 5 at 10,471. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures are up 1 at 1,123, and Nasdaq 100 index futures are up 6 at 1,874.