Fueled by gift-card redemptions, clearance sales and almost pitifully easy comparisons, the nation’s retailers seem, on balance, to have posted their fifth straight monthly sales gain in January, according to sales figures. Target's a notable laggard.

Shares of major S&P 500 components Cigna, Burger King and GlaxoSmithKline could be on the move on Thursday.

Helped by consumers’ gift-card redemptions and clearance-rack raids, retailers are on track to post a fifth straight monthly sales gain in January. But the spring outlook remains an open question.

Retail stocks were up slightly as women's clothing retailer Ann Taylor Stores Corp. raised its fourth-quarter sales and profit outlook and billionaire investor Ron Burkle said his investment firm has bought 19% of book retailer Barnes & Noble Inc.

Retail stocks rise as the National Retail Federation projects industry sales may rise 2.5% this year, after a drop by the same percentage amount last year.