Equity Alert
US mkt soft on mixed econ data; Dow Jones hits record high
This story was originally published at 07:55 IST on 18 August 2025
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Equity Alert: US mkt soft on mixed econ data; Dow Jones hits record high
MUMBAI--0739 IST--US equity indices ended the week on a muted note Friday with the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 ending slightly lower, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed a tad higher after hitting a record high intraday. Mixed economic data added uncertainty about the US Federal Reserve's next rate decision in September. Investors also assessed a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with hops of a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Russia.
UnitedHealth Group surged 12% after Berkshire Hathaway bought 5 million shares in the company, providing hope of a turnaround of the insurer that is struggling amid rising healthcare costs and changes to government reimbursement plans, Reuters reported. Intel rose 3% after a report said the Trump administration was in talks for the US government to potentially buy stake in the chipmaker. Bank of America ended 2% lower after Berkshire Hathaway reduced its stake in the second-biggest US lender by 4.2% to around 8%.
Economic data of the day was mixed, with retail sales rising as expected in July, but consumer sentiment weakened in August. Retail sales rose 0.5% in July, matching the Reuters estimate. The figure for June was upwardly revised to a 0.9% rise from 0.5%. However, the Consumer Sentiment index fell to 58.6 in August from 61.7 in July, lower than the Reuters estimate of 62. Hopes of a rate cut by the Fed were dented after the mixed data, with the CME Fedwatch tool showing an 84.6% probability of a 25 bps rate cut in September compared to the 85.4% probability a day ago.
Following are the closing levels of US indices Friday:
| INDEX | LAST LEVEL | CHANGE IN % |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 44946.12 | 0.08 |
| NASDAQ Composite | 21622.977 | (-)0.40 |
| S&P 500 | 6449.80 | (-)0.29 |
(Akash Mandal)
US$1 = INR 87.55
End
Edited by Avishek Dutta
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