In the aftermath of Thursday’s bullish day, Wall Street opened Friday moderately. The largest US stock indexes have already recovered almost back to all-time highs from the sudden collapse seen in early August.
The S&P 500 index of the largest US companies opened down 0.3 percent, while the technology index Nasdaq opened down 0.4 percent. The oldest stock index in the United States, the Dow Jones, opened Tuesday with a 0.1 percent decline.
The major indexes S&P 500 and Nasdaq have already risen for six days in a row. The indices in question are on their way to the best stock market week since November last year.
The US economic figures published on Thursday were stronger than expected by economic experts. Both retail sales and unemployment figures surprised positively.
Inflation figures released earlier this week have reinforced expectations that the US Federal Reserve may consider cutting interest rates at its next meeting in September.
On Friday, the numbers of building permits and housing starts for July were published.
The number of building permits in the USA decreased by 4.0 percent in July, when the previous month is used as a comparison point. Economists had expected a 2.0 percent drop. In June, the number of permits increased by 3.9 percent.
Housing starts in the USA also fell by 6.8 percent from the previous month. Economists expected a 1.5 percent decline. In June, starts increased by 1.1 percent.