Data shows that as of the close on August 14, the Dow fell by 11.01 points, or 0.02%, to 44,911.26; the S&P 500 rose by 1.96 points, or 0.03%, to 6,468.54; and the Nasdaq dropped by 2.47 points, or 0.01%, to 21,710.67.
Most large-cap tech stocks advanced, with the "Magnificent Seven" index rising 0.42%. Among individual stocks, Amazon surged over 2.8%, Google gained 0.39%, Microsoft rose 0.36%, Meta climbed 0.26%, Nvidia edged up 0.24%, while Apple fell 0.24% and Tesla dropped more than 1%.
Most Chinese ADRs declined, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index sliding 2.13%. Notable losers included GDS Holdings (down over 6%), Tuya Smart (down over 5%), Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics (down over 5%), BOSS Zhipin (down nearly 5%), and Li Auto (down over 4%).
In commodities, international precious metals futures mostly closed lower on August 14. COMEX gold futures fell 0.76% to $3,382.30 per ounce, while COMEX silver futures dropped 1.47% to $38.04 per ounce.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Beshent has repeatedly called for the Fed to cut interest rates recently, reinforcing market expectations of monetary easing. Beshent also emphasized maintaining gold as a store of value. These remarks supported the precious metals market, as low-interest environments typically reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like gold.
In oil markets, according to Xinhua News Agency, September-delivery WTI crude futures rose $1.31 to settle at $63.96 per barrel (up 2.09%), while October-delivery Brent crude futures gained $1.21 to close at $66.84 per barrel (up 1.84%).
Economic data revealed the Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand goods and services rose 0.9% month-over-month in July—significantly exceeding the Dow Jones consensus forecast of 0.2% and marking the largest monthly increase since June 2022. Year-over-year, July PPI surged 3.3%, the fastest pace since February and well above the Fed's 2% inflation target.
Notably, earlier CPI data this week largely met expectations—markets had nearly priced in a September Fed rate cut. However, post-PPI release, CME FedWatch showed slightly reduced odds for a September rate reduction.
