Shiro Copr.CO.ID - NEW YORK Major Wall Street indices declined on Monday (8/18/2025), in a relatively quiet start to the week, amid investor attention on earnings reports from several major retail companies and the annual Federal Reserve symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
At 09:55 local time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.15 points to 44,943.97, the S&P 500 fell 3.83 points or 0.06% to 6,445.97, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 28.59 points or 0.13% to 21,594.39.
Of the 11 S&P 500 sectors, seven recorded slight increases, with the healthcare sector leading, up 0.5%, while UnitedHealth shares jumped 2.3%, continuing nearly a 12% rise from the previous session.
Investors remain cautious ahead of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy regarding Kyiv's conflict with Moscow.
Trump has asked Ukraine to abandon hopes of regaining the annexed Crimea or joining NATO, while pushing for a peace agreement with Russia.
For the past two weeks, the major Wall Street indices have been rising. The leading Dow Jones stocks even reached intraday record highs last Friday, driven by expectations of interest rate cuts and better-than-expected earnings reports, although trading conditions remain uncertain.
Investors are now waiting for reports from Walmart, Home Depot, and Target, scheduled to be released this week, to assess the impact of trade uncertainty and inflation expectations on US consumer behavior.
Latest data shows that although retail sales increased as expected, consumer sentiment declined overall due to concerns about inflation.
"Many orders have been pulled from various retailers and manufacturers. From the revenue side, they will most likely meet their targets, and if there is an increase, it will be minimal," said Michael Matousek, Trader Head at U.S. Global Investors.
Investors still anticipate a 25 basis point interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next month, according to LSEG data, even though expectations for a rate cut this year have declined.
New data shows that U.S. rates have not yet affected consumer prices, but a weakening in the labor market could push the central bank to adopt a more dovish stance.
Markets hope the Fed's symposium in Jackson Hole, August 21-23, where Chair Jerome Powell is expected to speak, will provide further clarity on economic prospects and monetary policy.
In the field of trade, the Trump administration expanded the 50% tariff on imported steel and aluminum by adding hundreds of derivative products to the list of items subject to tariffs.
Meanwhile, Dayforce shares recorded the highest jump in the S&P 500, rising 25.4%, after a report mentioned private equity firm Thoma Bravo is in negotiations to acquire the company's human resources management software.
Solar energy stocks also saw a significant increase, with SunRun rising 7.2% and First Solar rising 6.2%, following the US Department of the Treasury's announcement regarding new federal tax credit rules for solar and wind energy projects.
Overall, more stocks rose than fell on the NYSE with a ratio of 1.41 to 1, and on the Nasdaq with a ratio of 1.4 to 1. The S&P 500 recorded five new 52-week high points and two new 52-week low points, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 54 new 52-week high points and 35 new 52-week low points.
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