STOCKS GO NOWHERE: Here's what you need to know
The Dow and S&P 500 closed in the red, while the Nasdaq squeaked into the green.
This was the 22nd day in a row that the S&P 500 moved less than 1% in either direction.
Let's head to the scoreboard:
- Dow: 18,576.40 (-37.12, -0.20%)
- S&P 500: 2,184.05 (-1.74, -0.08%)
- Nasdaq: 5,232.89 (+4.50, +0.09%))
- WTI Crude oil: $44.44 (+0.95, +2.18%)
- 10-year Treasury yield: 1.517 (-0.056, -3.55%)
- Olympic Medal Count: Stay up to date with every country's medal count here.
1. Retail sales didn't grow at all. Retail sales growth for July came in at 0.0% over the prior month, against expectations of 0.4%. And excluding autos, sales fell -0.3%, versus expectations are for a 0.1% rise.
2. Consumer confidence rose less than expected. The University of Michigan's preliminary reading for the month rose to 90.4, less than the bump expected by economists. Expectations were for the reading to rise to 91.5, up modestly from the reading of 90 seen at the end of July.
3. US oil rig count jumped higher for the 7th-straight week. This week the rig count jumped by 15 to 396, the highest level since February 26. Last week, the rig count rose by 7 to 381, the highest total since March 18.
4. The ruble and the dollar weakened. The Russian currency was weaker by as much as 0.8% at 64.68400, while the greenback was down by 0.1% in the late afternoon.
5. Someone on Ruby Tuesday's earnings call pretended to be Bud Fox from "Wall Street" and asked about Harambe. During Ruby Tuesday's second-quarter earnings call, an unidentified caller posed as Bud Fox, Charlie Sheen's character from the movie "Wall Street," and asked CEO JJ Buettgen if the burger chain's business had been affected by the death of Harambe.
6. Canada is nearing "peak crazy in the housing market." The Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index, which covers 11 cities, rose by a seasonally adjusted 1.4% month-over-month in July - the largest gain in month-over-month terms in almost seven years.
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