Business & Markets
US stocks mostly lower before Fed minutes
Wall Street stocks were mostly lower early Monday as investors opened a week that includes Federal Reserve meeting minutes and earnings from large retailers.
About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3 percent at 53,585.28. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1 percent to 7,774.62, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was flat at 26,724.05.
B. Riley Wealth Management's Art Hogan said mid-August trading was likely to be quiet, with many investors on vacation and few major data releases. He said investors would still watch the Fed minutes and earnings from Walmart and other large retailers.
Earlier Monday, global stocks had been steady. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed up 1.3 percent, Shanghai rose 1.4 percent and Tokyo gained 0.7 percent. Around 1100 GMT, London's FTSE 100 was up 0.1 percent, Paris was down 0.1 percent and Frankfurt was flat.
Recent US data have shown a softer labour market and easing inflation, though inflation remains above the Federal Reserve's two percent target. Earlier figures also showed US retail sales fell 0.6 percent in July from June.
Oil prices ticked higher as markets watched exchanges between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, which remains without normal tanker traffic. Around 1100 GMT, Brent crude was up 0.9 percent at $89.28 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was up 0.6 percent at $82.85.
Among individual companies, RTX rose 0.3 percent after announcing that it would accelerate production of Tomahawk cruise missiles for the US Navy following a $22.9 billion contract with the Pentagon.
Update
Wall Street stocks were mostly lower early Monday.
About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow was down 0.3 percent at 53,585.28, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1 percent to 7,774.62 and the Nasdaq was flat at 26,724.05.
Investors were looking ahead to Federal Reserve meeting minutes and earnings from large retailers including Walmart.
Oil prices ticked higher as markets monitored Iran-US exchanges over the Strait of Hormuz, which remains without normal tanker traffic.
RTX rose 0.3 percent after announcing faster Tomahawk cruise missile production for the US Navy following a $22.9 billion Pentagon contract.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 13:57:08 UTC.
Update
Global stocks were steady in Monday trading, with Asian technology shares higher and European equities more subdued at midday.
Oil prices edged higher around 1100 GMT as the United States and Iran showed no sign of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The dollar remained lower against major currencies after Friday's US economic data.
Investors were looking ahead to earnings from Walmart, Home Depot and Target for signs on US consumer sentiment.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 11:22:48 UTC.
Update
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed up 1.3 percent at 25,453.23.
London and Frankfurt were higher while Paris was flat around 0810 GMT.
West Texas Intermediate was down 0.9 percent at $81.70 a barrel and Brent crude was down 0.3 percent at $88.23 a barrel around 0810 GMT.
The dollar held losses against major peers after Friday's US data.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 08:35:43 UTC.
Update
Most Asian stocks rose rather than trading mixed in later reporting.
Tokyo closed up 0.7 percent, Shanghai closed up 1.4 percent and Hong Kong was up 1.6 percent around 0715 GMT.
London, Paris and Frankfurt advanced at the open.
Oil prices dipped after Friday's gains, with WTI down 0.7 percent and Brent up 0.3 percent around 0715 GMT.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 07:27:25 UTC.
Update
Asian stocks were mixed Monday after a retreat on Wall Street.
Bloomberg data cited by AFP put traders' chances of a September Fed rate increase at one in four, down from 50:50 the previous week.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.5 percent around 0230 GMT, while Shanghai rose 0.4 percent and Tokyo was flat.
Oil prices extended Friday's gains, with WTI at $82.89 a barrel and Brent at $89.24 around 0230 GMT.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected Trump's claim that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 02:41:35 UTC.
Update
US stock indexes closed lower, with the Dow and S&P 500 each down 0.2 percent and the Nasdaq down 0.3 percent.
US retail sales fell 0.6 percent in July from the previous month to $763.6 billion.
A University of Michigan survey showed US consumer confidence dropped by around eight percent in August after two months of gains.
Brent crude rose 1.7 percent to $88.52 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate rose 1.4 percent to $82.40.
Applied Materials shares fell more than five percent despite record quarterly sales of $9.1 billion, while SanDisk rose 7.4 percent.
Source note: AFP news report published on 14 August 2026 at 20:37:02 UTC.
Update
Oil prices turned higher after being lower in the earlier story.
Wall Street indexes slipped into negative territory after the open.
Most European indexes ended lower, while Frankfurt closed higher.
Applied Materials shares were down nearly six percent, compared with around three percent in the earlier story.
The item provides later market figures around 1600 GMT.
Source note: AFP news report published on 14 August 2026 at 16:11:38 UTC.
Update
Around 1400 GMT, Brent crude was down 0.3 percent at $86.81 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was down 0.4 percent at $80.91.
Wall Street indexes made small gains at the open after the S&P 500 reached another record on Thursday.
US retail sales data added caution before the weekend.
Applied Materials shares fell around three percent despite record quarterly sales of $9.1 billion.
Source note: AFP news report published on 14 August 2026 at 14:17:41 UTC.
Source
AFP news report published on .