Morning Brief
U.S. Stock Market Today: Tech Stocks Rise as Fed Rate-Hike Bets Ease
Aug 17, 2026 · ThinkSabio
U.S. stock futures are mostly higher Monday, with Nasdaq futures leading as technology and AI stocks gain. The S&P 500 is coming off another record close, while softer economic data has reduced expectations for a September Federal Reserve rate hike.
📊 Market Snapshot
Dow Futures: -0.34%
S&P 500 Futures: +0.06%
Nasdaq 100 Futures: +0.35%
10-Year Treasury Yield: ~4.71%
VIX: 14.95
Brent Crude: ~$89
Gold: ~$4,445
Bitcoin: ~$63,537
Dollar Index: ~95.88
🔥 Key Market Movers
🤖 AI & Semiconductors: AI stocks remain in focus after Anthropic reportedly projected $190B–$200B in 2028 revenue, supporting optimism around continued AI spending. #MU and #AVGO were among the stronger premarket semiconductor names.
#AMZN & #GOOGL: Both were higher premarket as technology stocks benefited from renewed AI optimism.
#NVDA: Nvidia remains closely watched ahead of its upcoming earnings, with investors looking for evidence that AI infrastructure demand remains strong.
🏦 Fed: Expectations for a September rate hike have fallen sharply following softer inflation, weaker July retail sales and recent employment data. A Reuters economist poll showed 90% of respondents expect the Fed to leave rates unchanged at its September meeting.
🛒 Retail Earnings: #WMT, #HD and #TGT are among the major retailers reporting this week. Investors will look for evidence of whether weaker July retail sales represent a temporary slowdown or broader consumer weakness.
🛢️ Oil & Geopolitics: Brent crude remains near $89, with the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and uncertainty around Middle East oil flows keeping energy and inflation risks elevated.
📅 FOMC Minutes: The Federal Reserve's July meeting minutes are due Wednesday, giving investors additional clues about the path of interest rates.
🎯 Market Theme
AI optimism vs. consumer weakness and geopolitical risk.
Strong technology and AI momentum, combined with lower expectations for a September rate hike, remain supportive for equities. However, weak retail sales, elevated oil prices, Treasury yields and Middle East tensions remain key risks for the market.
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