Stocks rise modestly even as oil extends record high run

Some of the retail reports Thursday weren't as gloomy as Wall Street expected. But results still suggest that high energy costs are leading consumers to alter their spending.

The price of crude oil, meanwhile, passed $124 a barrel. And gasoline rose to a new record at the pump, climbing to a national average of nearly $3.65 a gallon.

The Dow Jones industrial average is up about 52 points at the 12,866 level.