Consumer sentiment, Housing starts, Fed Speak

Markets are digesting the latest reading on consumer sentiment, economists had expected a reading of 66.6, a slight increase over last month. US July Housing Starts fell to 1.238 million annualized, below economists expectations. The Federal Reserve remains in focus following a week of key inflation data. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee will speak later today, potentially giving more insight into the possibility of an interest rate cut in September. Takeaways: Stock futures are dipping into negative territory ahead of Friday's market open, coming off of Thursday's rally fueled by July retail sales and lower-than-expected initial jobless claims. The tech sector is leading market rallies in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite as Big Tech names rebound from recent sell-offs. Chipmaker Nvidia is up over 17% in the last five trading days. Vice President Kamala Harris will outline her economic policy agenda at a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, focusing on taming inflation and reducing grocery, housing, and prescription drug prices for American consumers. Don’t miss an episode of Yahoo Finance's Yahoo Finance Morning Brief. Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. Connect With Us: We love hearing from our listeners! Write a review and let us know what you think about the show. Send your thoughts and questions to [email protected]. Yahoo Finance's Morning Brief is hosted by Seana Smith and Brad Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices