Wall Street Week Ahead: Retail Stocks Search for Direction as Rates Stay High

WALL STREET - NEW YORK, June 14 (Reuters) - Elevated U.S. interest rates are pressuring the U.S. retail sector, where shares of many companies have been dented by months of tight monetary policy while a select few have soared.

The S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail index .SPXRT is up nearly 14% this year, roughly keeping pace with the S&P 500’s year-to-date gain. Much of the sector’s strength, however, has been concentrated in a small group of stocks, including heavyweight Amazon.com AMZN.O, which is up nearly 21% this year.