After S&P 500 record, markets pause: focus on retail sales
On Thursday the American index topped 7,800 for the first time; on Friday markets moved in mixed fashion as oil prices climbed back up. On the calendar: Fitch's review on the United Kingdom and the European Union's trade balance.
The development of the past few hours in the markets is a pause, not a reversal. On Thursday, August 13, the S&P 500 index closed at a record high, surpassing 7,800 points for the first time, driven by data showing cooling inflation in July and falling oil prices (BNN Bloomberg). Friday morning in New York, the same index was trading around 7,791 points, the Dow Jones around 53,797 and the Nasdaq around 26,737 (TheStreet).
The two variables that had produced the record moved in opposite directions within twenty-four hours. The cooling of inflation remains a settled fact; oil, on the other hand, rose again at the end of the week following the attack on two ships linked to the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of Hormuz, which is covered in this edition’s lead story. This is why U.S. futures moved in mixed order rather than continuing to rise.
The Asian picture
Asian markets closed mixed: the Nikkei 225 rose about 0.6% to 68,713.80 points, the Hang Seng declined, and Australia’s ASX 200 stood at 9,115.2 points with a drop of 0.80% (STL.News).
| Index | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 (morning in New York) | ~7,791 | after the record of 7,800+ |
| Dow Jones | ~53,797 | — |
| Nasdaq | ~26,737 | — |
| Nikkei 225 | 68,713.80 | +0.6% |
| ASX 200 | 9,115.2 | −0.80% |
The stocks that moved the most
Today’s corporate news concerns index composition: S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Reddit will join the S&P 500 before the opening bell on August 18. The stock rose 10.4% after the announcement. Inclusion in a benchmark index generates nearly automatic buying by funds that track it, which explains much of the movement.
In the same session, the financial group Nu Holdings rose nearly 12% after a record quarterly net profit of over a billion dollars; Sandisk gained 7% following its 2026 Investor Day and the long-term financial forecasts presented by management; in the opposite direction, Globant lost 12.6% after quarterly results deemed disappointing. For this series of corporate movements, the information currently comes from a single source (TheStreet’s account of announcements and company results); no independent confirmation available.
The calendar
The macroeconomic data expected today in the United States concerns July retail sales, released before the opening: it is the first consumer indicator following the slowdown in inflation, and will help gauge whether the recovered purchasing power is translating into spending.
In Europe, on August 14 Fitch will publish its review of the United Kingdom’s sovereign credit rating, and Brussels will release data on the European Union’s trade balance; Banca d’Italia will publish statistics on official reserves and foreign currency liquidity, public administration financing needs and debt, and the financial market (Teleborsa, ANSA).
The next event with immediate operational effects is August 18: from that opening, Reddit will be part of the S&P 500.
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