Wall Street falls as growth stocks slide, Target weighs on retail shares

US retail sales flat in July; core sales rise; retailer Target's quarterly profit slumps

Wall Street's main indexes fell on Wednesday as growth stocks came under pressure after bond yields climbed ahead of minutes from the Federal Reserve's July meeting, while weak results from Target dragged the retail sector lower.

Retail earnings have been mixed so far this week, with Target Corp falling 3.3% after reporting a 90% slump in quarterly earnings as its inflation-hit customers reined in spending on discretionary goods.

The S&P 500 retail sector declined 1.7%, after jumping 1.9% in the previous session on encouraging quarterly earnings from Walmart Inc and Home Depot Inc.

Data showed U.S. retail sales were unchanged in July as