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.

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Episode 129: WFT releases Steven Sims Jr., Ron Rivera lists those who have impressed him and much more