US stocks rallied once again on Friday as investors held on to optimism about the economy, corporate takeovers and profits.

Investors seemed to take some negative economic news in stride. The Commerce Department said retail sales fell 0.9 per cent in June?the biggest monthly decline in nearly two years. However, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, preliminary July consumer sentiment climbed to 92.4, which was much higher than expected. June's final reading came in at 85.6.

For now let's take a look at the numbers, The Dow Jones Industrials climbed 46 points closing at a record high of 13,907; the S&P500 also hit an all time high after advancing 5 points to 1,553, the Nasdaq didn't climb into record territory but it posted a respectable 5 point gain to finish at 2,707.

In company news, a takeover announcement sent shares in Energizer Holdings up 0.88% to $107.67. The battery and razor maker has agreed to buy Playtex in an all-cash deal worth about $1 billion. The deal marks Energizer's first acquisition since it paid $930 million to buy the Schick-Wilkinson Sword in March 2003. The acquisition should be completed over the next two to three months