NEW YORK — A small recovery in commodities and a rally in companies that make consumer staples like toilet paper and pasta helped the financial markets reverse a decline Thursday to end the day with modest gains. Consumer staples and health care led the market due in part to concerns that high gas prices will erode consumer spending and cut into corporate earnings. Companies that sell everyday items or provide health-related products and services are less dependent on economic growth for their profits since people typically spend money on such items even if they cut back elsewhere. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Kraft Foods were among the day’s biggest gainers.
Retail sales rose 0.5 percent, but that number dropped to 0.2 percent after excluding gas prices. Higher energy costs also pushed wholesale prices — the amount companies pay for goods — up 0.8 percent in April, the government said.
