In the US markets, the blue-chip Dow Jones ended higher after hitting an intraday record high, but other Wall Street indices slipped as mixed data clouded the Federal Reserve’s next monetary policy move.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 35 points to close at 44,946. But the S&P 500 lost 19 points, or 0.3%, to 6,450 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 88 points, or 0.4%, to 21,623. For the week, the S&P 500 gained 0.9%, the Nasdaq rose 0.8%, while the Dow climbed 1.7%. This was the second straight week when the markets rose on expectations that the Fed could restart its monetary policy easing cycle with a 25-basis-point interest rate cut in September.
In economic data, a report showed retail sales in July rose as expected, but consumer confidence and factory production numbers indicated tariffs were taking a toll on other pockets of the economy.
