On Friday, July 26th, U.S. stock markets closed higher as investors returned to tech megacaps, and inflation data fueled hopes for Fed rate cuts. Despite this, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended the week lower for the second consecutive week. The Dow Jones closed positively, aided by 3M’s 23% surge after raising its annual profit forecast.
In economic data, the headline Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) price index fell to 2.5% year-on-year in June, as expected, while the core component stayed at 2.6% instead of dropping to 2.5%.
S&P 500 sectors ended positively, with industrials, materials, and real estate stocks showing the highest gains.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.64% and closed at 40,589.34. The S&P 500 gained 1.11%, ending the day at 5,459.10, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.03%, finishing the session at 17,357.88.
Asian Markets Today
Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET
- The European STOXX 50 index gained 0.12%.
- Germany’s DAX rose 0.36%.
- France’s CAC was down 0.06%.
- U.K.’s FTSE 100 traded higher by 0.97%.
Commodities at 06:00 AM ET
US Futures at 06:00 AM ET
Dow futures were up 0.32%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.35%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.50%.
Forex at 06:00 AM ET
The U.S. dollar index gained 0.12% to 104.44, the USD/JPY was up 0.04% to 153.77, and the USD/AUD slid 0.01% to 1.5266.
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