Mumbai, Feb. 17 -- The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 81.13 points or 0.4% to 20,026.77, the S&P 500 edged down 0.44 points or less than a tenth of a% to 6,114.64 and the narrower Dow fell 165.35 points or 0.4% to 44,546.08.

The Commerce department released a report showing retail sales slumped by much more than expected in January. The report said retail sales slid by 0.9% in January after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.7% in December.

A separate report from the Federal Reserve showed industrial production rose by more than expected in January, although the increase was largely due to a weather-related surge by utilities output. The Fed said industrial production climbed by 0.5% in January after jumping by an upwardly revised 1.0% in Dec...