Third Straight Week of Records.
Wrapping a strong week; markets closed out Friday still near all-time highs despite a couple of shaky data points.
1. The Records Keep Coming
$SPX hit its 27th intraday record of the year on Thursday at 7,816, then closed Friday around 7,784, up 0.19% for the week. Nasdaq and Dow also notched fresh highs earlier in the week. Third consecutive weekly gain, the longest streak since May. $XLK remains the year's biggest driver, up 32.5% YTD.
2. The Consumer Cracks
Friday brought two soft prints: July retail sales fell for the first time in nine months, and August consumer sentiment dropped to 51 from 55.2, the lowest read in months. Inflation worries and elevated oil prices are clearly weighing on household spending, even as headline inflation data cooled earlier in the week.
3. Friday's Movers
$RDDT jumped 14% on momentum, $MU gained on AI optimism, $TMUS slid on a brokerage downgrade citing revenue risk. Oil ticked up too, adding a bit more pressure on the consumer story.
The point is: The market's betting cooling inflation and AI capex momentum outweigh a tiring consumer; for now, that bet's winning. But three straight weeks of records on top of weakening retail sales is a gap that usually closes one way or the other.
Heading into next week: are you trimming into strength, or riding the AI trade through any pullback?
#MarketNews #ConsumerSentiment #RecordHighs #Investing2026
