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US Equity Markets End Lower Amid Weak Retail Sales Data, Rise in Crude Oil Prices

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US equity indexes ended lower Friday amid a drop in retail sales and after crude oil prices rose following the US plan to impose unprecedented economic measures against Iran.

* Retail sales fell 0.6% amid declines in spending on motor vehicles and at gas stations, following a 0.2% increase in June, the Census Bureau reported Friday. This compares with 0.1% growth expected in a Bloomberg analyst survey.

* The US will soon announce unprecedented economic measures against Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, intensifying the Trump administration's effort to force Tehran's capitulation after almost six months of war, according to a Bloomberg report.

* September West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose $1.05 to settle at $82.30 per barrel, while October Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $1.42 at $88.49.

* Nebius (NBIS) has signed an agreement with Vantage Data Centers to deploy high-density artificial intelligence infrastructure powered by Nvidia (NVDA) at Vantage's CWL1 data center campus in Wales, the companies said Thursday. Shares of Nebius were up about 8.8%, the top gainer on the Nasdaq.

* Applied Materials (AMAT) shares were down about 5.2%, among the worst performers on the S&P 500, after the company reported late Thursday lower free cash flow for the first nine months of the fiscal year as capital expenditures climbed sharply.

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US Equity Markets End Higher Amid Weak Producer Inflation Print, Drop in Crude Oil Prices

US equity indexes ended higher Thursday after a weak producer price inflation report and a drop in crude oil prices.* The Producer Price Index held steady in July, following a 0.1% decrease in June, versus the 0.2% gain expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.* US commercial crude oil inventories increased by a staggering 17.4 million barrels in the week ended Aug. 7, the Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report on Wednesday.* September West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $1.99 to settle at $81.28 per barrel, while October Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.93 at $87.05 after the International Energy Agency projected global demand to contract by 1.6 million barrels per day this year.* Workday (WDAY) is in talks to be acquired by private equity firm Silver Lake, Reuters reported Thursday. Shares of the company were up roughly 18%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.* Tapestry (TPR) shares were down nearly 16%, the worst performer on the S&P 500, after the company issued a full-year outlook below analyst estimates at the midpoint on Thursday, after reporting stronger-than-expected fiscal Q4 earnings.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$TPR$WDAY
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Update: S&P 500 Scales New Peak as Weak Wholesale Inflation Report Lifts Odds of Fed's Policy-Pause Extension

(Updates with index/price moves from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose, with the S&P 500 hitting a new high, after a soft producer price inflation report increased the probability of a sixth consecutive monetary policy pause in September, and crude oil prices slumped.The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.9% to 26,838.1, and the S&P 500 climbed 0.7% to 7,803.9 ahead of Thursday's close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1% to 53,844.5, clawing out of intraday declines. The S&P 500 hit 7,816.70, its highest intraday level ever.Communication services, real estate and technology topped the gainers, while materials led decliners.The Producer Price Index held steady in July, following a 0.1% decrease in June, versus the 0.2% gain expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. Energy prices fell by 3.1% in the month amid a 9.8% slide in natural gas liquids, a 6.7% slump in diesel fuel, and a 5.7% drop in gasoline prices. Excluding food and energy, core PPI climbed 0.2%, still below the 0.3% gain anticipated and a 0.4% increase in June.Annually, PPI was up 4.7% in July, and core PPI increased by 4.2%, both slowing from June.The probability of the Federal Reserve extending its policy pause to September jumped to 65% on Thursday, from 59% a day ago and 45% a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool.Among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion each, eight of the top 10 by returns were in the technology sector after midday Thursday, according to data compiled by Finviz. Sandisk (SNDK), the leader of this pack with a 14% surge in the final leg of trading, said it expects revenue growth in the mid-to-high-teens over fiscal 2028 through fiscal 2030.Meanwhile, the front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract dropped 2.5% to $81.23 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 2.2% to $87.06 per barrel as traders weighed a downbeat demand-supply dynamic and a continuing stalemate in the Iran war.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$SNDK
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Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as Soft Wholesale Inflation Helps Lift Bets for Fed Policy Pause

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed after a soft producer price inflation print boosted the odds of a monetary policy pause for the sixth consecutive time, while crude oil prices declined.The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6% to 26,736.2, and the S&P 500 climbed 0.4% to 7,781.4 after midday Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% to 53,697.7 as a sharp sell-off in Cisco (CSCO) weighed on the equal-weighted index.Real estate and technology topped gainers, while industrials and materials led decliners.Cisco slumped 8.3%, one of the worst performers in the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. The tech giant reported flat fiscal Q4 services revenue at $3.79 billion, missing the FactSet-polled consensus of $3.81 billion. On a non-GAAP basis, product gross margin fell to 64.8% from 67.5% a year ago, weighing on total gross margin.The Producer Price Index held steady in July, following a 0.1% decrease in June, versus the 0.2% gain expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey, amid sliding energy and food prices. Excluding food and energy, core PPI climbed 0.2%, below the 0.3% gain anticipated and a 0.4% increase in June.The probability of the Federal Reserve extending its policy pause to September jumped to 66% on Thursday, from 59% a day ago and 45% a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool.US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year yield down 4.9 basis points to 4.64% and the two-year lower by 5.4 basis points to 4.15%.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract dropped 1.4% to $82.15 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 1.2% to $87.95 per barrel.The Strait of Hormuz is "under Iran's control and management," the recently appointed head of Iran's Basij paramilitary unit said Thursday, a day after US President Donald Trump said the US had "total control" of the waterway, Reuters reported.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$CSCO