US markets end lower following disappointing retail sales data

18 Aug 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Tuesday after the Commerce Department released a report showing US retail sales tumbled by much more than expected in the month of July. The report said retail sales slumped by 1.1 percent in July after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.7 percent in June. Street had expected retail sales to dip by 0.3 percent compared to the 0.6 percent increase originally reported for the previous month. Excluding a steep drop in sales by motor vehicles and parts dealers, retail sales fell by 0.4 percent in July after jumping by 1.6 percent in June. Ex-auto sales were expected to inch up by 0.1 percent.

A steep drop by shares of Home Depot (HD) also weighed on the markets, with the home improvement retailer plunging by 4.3 percent after reporting second quarter earnings that beat estimates but weaker than expected same-store sales growth. On the sectoral front, steel stocks showed a substantial move to the downside amid concerns about the global economic outlook, resulting in a 3.1 percent nosedive by the NYSE Arca Steel Index. Considerable weakness was also visible among housing stocks, as reflected by the 2.9 percent slump by the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index.

Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 282.12 points or 0.79 percent to 35,343.28, Nasdaq fell 137.58 points or 0.93 percent to 14,656.18 and S&P 500 was down by 31.63 points or 0.71 percent to 4,448.08.

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