US Stocks Mixed Amid Ongoing Tensions and Economic Data

US stocks closed mixed on Monday, with the Dow Jones down 0.1% and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite up 0.01% and 0.03%, respectively. The CNN Money Fear and Greed index improved slightly, but remained in the "Greed" zone at 65.2. Investors await earnings results from Toll Brothers, Keysight Technologies, and The Home Depot today.

US stocks closed mixed on Monday, with the Dow Jones down 0.1% and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite up 0.01% and 0.03%, respectively. The CNN Money Fear and Greed index improved slightly, but remained in the "Greed" zone at 65.2. Investors await earnings results from Toll Brothers, Keysight Technologies, and The Home Depot today.

Futures for major U.S. indexes suggest a slightly lower open on Tuesday, following two strong weeks that pushed the Nasdaq and S&P 500 to record levels. Traders may use the session to take profits after the recent rally [1]. Market focus is on a high-profile White House meeting involving President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders. The gathering follows Trump’s Friday discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which yielded some progress but no formal resolution to the Ukraine conflict [1].

On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Zelenskyy has the ability to act “with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to.” Investors are also watching for insights from central bank officials at the Jackson Hole symposium later this week, as well as earnings releases from retailers such as Walmart (NYSE:WMT) and Home Depot (NYSE:HD) [1].

Friday’s trading reflected mixed results:
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: +34.86 points (+0.1%) to 44,946.12
- S&P 500: -18.74 points (-0.3%) to 6,449.80
- Nasdaq Composite: -87.69 points (-0.4%) to 21,622.98

Despite Friday’s pullback, the weekly gains remained solid: Dow +1.7%, S&P 500 +0.9%, Nasdaq +0.8% [1].

Mixed economic data contributed to market caution:
- Retail sales rose 0.5% in July, matching expectations, with ex-auto sales up 0.3%.
- The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index fell to 58.6 in August from 61.7 in July, below the projected 62.0.
- Inflation expectations jumped, with short-term forecasts rising to 4.9% and long-term expectations to 3.9%.
- Import prices rose more than expected, while industrial output showed a slight decline [1].

Sector performance was uneven:
- Semiconductors led declines, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down 2.3%.
- Banks slid 2.0% (KBW Bank Index).
- Oil service and steel stocks struggled, whereas healthcare, biotech, and pharmaceutical sectors moved higher [1].

Analysts are expecting Toll Brothers Inc. TOL to report quarterly earnings at $3.60 per share on revenue of $2.86 billion after the closing bell. Fabrinet FN reported upbeat fourth-quarter financial results for fiscal 2025 on Monday. Keysight Technologies Inc. KEYS is expected to post quarterly earnings at $1.67 per share on revenue of $1.32 billion. Palo Alto Networks Inc. PANW reported better-than-expected financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 and issued strong guidance for fiscal 2026. The Home Depot Inc. HD is expected to post quarterly earnings at $4.69 per share on revenue of $45.31 billion before the opening bell [3, 4].

References:
[1] https://investorshub.advfn.com/market-news/article/14881/dow-jones-sp-nasdaq-wall-street-sfutures-et-for-slight-pullback-after-back-to-back-gains
[2] https://www.tradingview.com/news/moneycontrol:0a48c0386094b:0-greed-fear-chris-wood-maintains-only-marginal-overweight-on-india-amid-valuation-supply-concerns/
[3] https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/08/47202400/home-depot-palo-alto-networks-and-3-stocks-to-watch-heading-into-tuesday
[4] https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-stock-ratings/price-target/25/08/47202463/home-depot-gears-up-for-q2-print-here-are-the-recent-forecast-changes-from-wall-streets-most-accurate-analysts