U.S. markets ended lower on Friday due to profit-taking and soft economic data. Report released by the Commerce Department showed US retail sales fell 0.6% month-on-month in July 2026, sharply missing expectations for a 0.1% rise and reversing June’s 0.2% gain. It was the first decline since October 2025 and the biggest since May last year. Besides, preliminary data released by the University of Michigan showed the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index fell to 51 in early August 2026, down from 55.2 in July and below market expectations of 54.5, ending two consecutive months of improvement. Both major components weakened, with the current conditions index declining to 51.8 and the expectations measure falling to 50.6. The deterioration was broad-based across political and demographic groups, with particularly sharp declines among older, lower-income and less-educated consumers, who are more exposed to rising prices. Meanwhile, another report released by Commerce Department showed business inventories in the U.S. were unexpectedly flat in the month of June. The Commerce Department said business inventories came in virtually unchanged in June after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.4 percent in May.
Nasdaq slipped 73.86 points or 0.28 percent to 26,729.16, S&P 500 fell 13.23 points or 0.17 percent to 7,785.76 and Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 107.58 points or 0.20 percent to 53,732.41.
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