US stock indices ended lower on Friday as mounting macroeconomic headwinds pressured markets. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from its record high, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 108 points, and the Nasdaq 100 eased 0.1%.
Fresh data pointed to a cooling economy. The University of Michigan’s preliminary August consumer sentiment index fell to 51, missing expectations of 55. Retail sales also posted their largest monthly drop in more than a year in July. Taken together with recent soft labor market readings and subdued inflation, the figures reinforced signs of slowing economic momentum.
Investors are increasingly concerned that weaker consumer spending could erode corporate earnings and add pressure to equities. Major technology and cloud “hyperscalers” came under pressure, with Meta down 0.9%, Oracle off 3.8%, and Amazon also falling 0.9%.
Performance among large semiconductor names was mixed. Broadcom retreated 5.9%, Intel lost 2%, and Nvidia ticked lower, while AMD jumped 6.5% and memory-chip producers extended their rally from earlier in the week. Micron rose 2.3% after upbeat analyst and broker recommendations, and Sandisk surged 7.4%, building on a 14% gain from Thursday.
