US: S&P 500 ends lower as investors weigh data, Middle East tensions
[NEW YORK] The S&P 500 closed lower on Friday (Aug 14), dipping from a record high and weighed down by Applied Materials,...
The S&P 500 closed lower on Friday, Aug 14, following a record high, as investors digested weaker-than-expected retail sales data and concerns over Middle East tensions. Applied Materials, a chip equipment maker, saw its shares drop 5.1 percent after a quarterly forecast that failed to impress investors. Despite this, the chip industry faced continued headwinds, with Broadcom and Intel also experiencing declines of 5.9 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
Analyst Thomas Martin noted that despite Applied Materials' "beat and raise," the stock sold off due to high expectations not being met. The Strait of Hormuz saw two more ships attacked, and the US indicated it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, adding to market pessimism. Meanwhile, optimism was seen in the energy sector, with the S&P 500 energy index rallying 1.4 percent as oil prices rose.
Social media giant Reddit saw its stock surge almost 13 percent as it joined the S&P 500 index, effective Aug 18. July retail sales data came in weaker than expected, with the Commerce Department reporting a 0.2 percent gain in June, contrasting with the unrevised gain. The S&P 500 ended the session at 7,785.76 points, down 0.2 percent, while the Nasdaq dropped 0.3 percent to 26,729.16 points.
Both indices had more advancing than declining stocks, with 15 new highs and one new low for the S&P 500, and 85 new highs and 65 new lows for the Nasdaq. Light trading volume on US exchanges, at 9.6 billion shares, contrasted with the average of 17.4 billion shares over the past 20 sessions. The week saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq post their third consecutive weekly gains since early April, driven by strong earnings and reduced concerns about interest rate hikes.
The Federal Reserve's September meeting saw a 67 percent chance of interest rates remaining unchanged, according to CME's FedWatch. Consumer sentiment in the US, as measured by the University of Michigan's preliminary survey, fell to 51 in August, lower than expected economists' forecasts. Aggregate earnings for S&P 500 companies surged 52 percent in Q2, largely driven by AI heavyweights Amazon and Microsoft.
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