FX.co ★ US Stocks Set for Fresh Records

On Friday, U.S. stock futures experienced a modest rise, continuing their upward momentum as markets evaluated the potential effects of tariffs on costs, economic growth, and corporate profitability in anticipation of President Trump's meeting with Russian President Putin. Futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 edged higher, approaching their peak levels for the week, while the Dow was poised to gain 300 points, marking its first record high since last November. Both the overall and core retail sales rose by 0.5% in July, with the latter surpassing expectations and bolstering confidence in the strength of the U.S. consumer following weak figures earlier in the year. Importantly, import prices, excluding tariffs, saw an unexpected increase. UnitedHealth futures surged over 10%, rebounding from previous downturns following Berkshire Hathaway's significant investment in the company. Conversely, Applied Materials dropped by 13% after revealing their second-quarter financial results.