Opening Comment — Friday, August 14, 2026
DJIA: 53,839.99, up 69.72
S&P 500: 7,798.99, up 50.49
NASDAQ: 26,803.03, up 214.54
Stocks mixed to end out week
Stock futures are mixed Friday morning as the U.S.-Iran conflict continues, with U.S. officials indicating that the blockade of Iranian ports is not expected to be lifted anytime soon. Investors will also be looking for the preliminary August reading of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan and July’s retail sales data. As of 7:14 AM ET, the Dow is decreasing 0.2%, while the S&P 500 is up 0.1%. The Nasdaq 100 is increasing 0.2% relative to fair value on the GLOBEX.
U.S. equities were higher on Thursday as July Producer Price Index (PPI) was softer than anticipated on a headline basis, with prices unchanged month-over-month (MOM) and easing to 4.7% year-over-year (YOY). Meanwhile, core PPI rose by a smaller-than-expected 0.2% MOM, while decelerating to 4.2% YOY. Initial jobless claims increased, while continuing claims for the prior week fell. The Dow was up 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.8%. The S&P 500 increased 0.7% and set a new record closing level of 7798.99, with seven of 11 sectors finishing in positive territory. The Communication Services sector was the top performer, rising 1.6%, while the Materials sector was the bottom performer, falling 0.7%.
Technical Analysis:
None at the time.
On the data front, retail sales are expected to have risen 0.1% MOM in July versus the prior month’s increase of 0.2%, while retail sales excluding autos are forecasted to have risen 0.2% MOM versus the prior month’s decrease of 0.2%. The University of Michigan’s preliminary August reading of consumer sentiment is forecasted to come in at 55.0, lower than the prior month’s 55.2. The one-year and five- to ten-year inflation expectations for August from the University of Michigan are expected to come in at 4.2% and 3.3%, respectively, similar to the prior month’s readings. Business inventories are expected to have risen 0.1% MOM in June, compared to the prior month’s increase of 0.3%.
Across the pond, European stocks are mostly higher in mid-day trading as Germany’s wholesale price index rebounded in July, rising 0.2% MOM and accelerating to 5.3% YOY, while France’s finalized reading of headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained unchanged at 0.6% MOM and 2.1% YOY. Separately, the eurozone’s second estimate of second-quarter gross domestic product growth was unchanged at 0.4% quarter-over-quarter (QOQ) and 1.0% YOY, while preliminary second-quarter employment growth came in at 0.1% QOQ and 0.5% YOY. Additionally, the eurozone posted a trade surplus in June.
Overnight in Asia, stocks were mixed as China’s preliminary second-quarter balance of payments current account surplus widened. Meanwhile, South Korea’s July export prices rose 1.0% MOM, accelerating to 49.1% YOY.
In FOREX trading, the U.S. dollar is lower ahead of data on U.S. consumer sentiment.
Over in the commodity pits, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is 0.6% higher at $81.74/barrel.
In the metals complex, gold is little changed at $4,349.83/ounce.