The RealClearMarkets's sentiment index, the first consumer measure for August, fell to 45.1 from 45.5 in July, due entirely to a decline in the six-month outlook that was partially offset by gains in personal finance outlook and confidence in federal government policies.
Only the personal finance outlook was above the reading of 50 that would indicate a shift from pessimism to optimism. In addition, the financial-related stress index increased, indicating heightened concern.
June job openings data showed a modest decrease, while hiring increased.
The international trade deficit narrowed to $73.26 billion in June from $77.65 billion in May as imports fell faster than exports.
There were import declines in all categories, with the largest drops in the capital goods and consumer goods categories.
Factory new orders fell by 0.3% in June with transportation orders down 0.1% and the remaining categories combining for a 0.4% decline.
Durable goods orders were revised up to a 0.5% gain from the 0.3% increase in the advance estimate, while nondurable goods new orders fell by 1.2%.
Factory shipments declined by 0.2% and factory inventories rose by 0.1%. When combined with already-published advance estimates for retail and wholesale inventories, business inventories are on pace for a 0.1% gain in the month.
Redbook reported that US same-store retail sales were up 8.7% year-over-year in the week ended Aug. 1, stronger than an 8.3% gain in the prior week due to school tax holiday sales.
The Q3 GDP nowcast estimate from the Atlanta Fed is for a 5.9% gain, revised down from a 6.2% increase in the previous estimate.