In a surprise move, developers who had sought to build 25,000 homes on farmlands in San Jose's Coyote Valley pulled the plug on their plan today saying economic uncertainty, market forces and expensive planning delays have made the project impossible to pursue.

NEW YORK -- Wall Street moved sharply higher Wednesday after the Commerce Department reported an unexpected increase in retail sales last month and eased some concerns about consumers' willingness to spend despite economic uncertainty. The Dow Jones industrials rose nearly 150 points.