CNBC Daily Open: U.S. retail sales in sharp focus

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe  here .

Stocks end mixed   
Wall Street ended mixed Wednesday, dragged down by tech stocks as investors await key updates on retail sales and producer prices. The S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.19% and 0.54%, respectively. The 30-stock Dow, on the other hand, added 0.1%.

Palantir CEO on backing Israel
Palantir CEO Alex Karp said his outspoken pro-Israel views have caused staff to leave the company and that he expects to see more walk out. "If you have a position that does not cost you ever to lose an employee, it's not a position," Karp said in an interview on CNBC.

House passes TikTok bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that could lead to a ban against TikTok if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, doesn't sell its stake in the popular video app. The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces steep hurdles as senators are divided over the legislation.

EV hype may be over
The euphoria around electric vehicles is waning. Ford Motor, General Motors and Mercedes-Benz are some of the major automakers that are scaling back or delaying their EV plans. This comes as the sector sees lower rates of growth and a slower pace of adoption than previously expected.

[PRO] China stocks worth the risk
Chinese stocks are a "risk worth taking," said Jason Hsu, chairman and chief investment officer of Rayliant Global Advisors. He noted they are "trading at the cheapest" while offering "a big discount," and sees huge opportunities to play the market.

American consumers started the year on shaky