US markets drift near record highs as retail earnings loom
Investors monitor consumer spending and oil price fluctuations amid uncertainty regarding Federal Reserve interest rate decisions.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
People walk past the Nasdaq MarketSite, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Photograph: Associated Press News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The S&P 500 fell 0.1% but remains close to the all-time high reached on 14 August 2026.
- Retailers including Walmart and Target face scrutiny this week as investors look for signs of consumer spending trends.
- Brent crude oil rose 0.4% to $88.87 per barrel amid ongoing Middle East tensions.
- The 10-year US Treasury yield increased to 4.70% following stronger manufacturing data from New York.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 18 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 20 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
55/100
Hype
15/100
20 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 18 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
US stock indices traded near record levels on Monday, 17 August 2026. The S&P 500 declined 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 163 points, or 0.3%, by 10:30 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite showed little change. This market activity occurs ahead of a week featuring profit reports from major retailers such as Home Depot, Target, and Walmart, which may indicate how consumers are managing inflation and a softening labour market.
In the energy sector, the price for a barrel of Brent crude rose 0.4% to $88.87. This follows a period of volatility where prices fluctuated between $72 and $102 last month due to uncertainty regarding US-Iran negotiations. In the bond market, the 10-year US Treasury yield rose to 4.70% from 4.68% on 15 August 2026. This increase follows manufacturing growth data from New York state that exceeded expectations.
Corporate news included a 3.2% drop in L3Harris Technologies shares after the company announced the departure of CEO and chairman Christopher Kubasik. The company stated the exit followed conduct that did not align with company values, though it noted the issue was unrelated to financial reporting or operational performance. Meanwhile, Berkshire Hathaway increased its investment in Alphabet, while selling its entire position in Constellation Brands.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports ran this story.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 17 Aug 2026, 17:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
9 rated outlets
- Reports from the Associated Press, The Seattle Times, The Toronto Star, The Independent, The Independent (US), The Sun Chronicle, The Hamilton Spectator, and St Catharines Standard focused on the intersection of market performance and economic pressures. These reports noted that US stocks edged back from record highs following weaker than expected economic data. The Associated Press highlighted that retail customers face pressure from rising bills and a job market where employers cut more positions than they added last month.
Centre
9 rated outlets
- Centre-rated outlets, including WKMG, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Cecil Daily, Joplin Globe, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Leader-Telegram, The Star Democrat, somdnews.com, The Record, and Winnipeg Free Press, primarily reported on the mixed performance of global markets. These reports noted that Asian shares were mostly higher while US futures remained steady. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and The Seattle Times focused on how new questions are arising regarding the state of the US consumer.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Read it at the source
20 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
9- Futures mixed in a big week for retailers as new questions rise over the consumer state of mind (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens St Catharines Standard in a new tab)
St Catharines Standard — is St Catharines Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens The Sun Chronicle in a new tab)
The Sun Chronicle — is The Sun Chronicle biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
9- Futures mixed in a big week for retailers as new questions rise over the consumer state of mind (opens The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in a new tab)
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens somdnews.com in a new tab)
somdnews.com — is somdnews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens The Star Democrat in a new tab)
The Star Democrat — is The Star Democrat biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens Leader-Telegram in a new tab)
Leader-Telegram — is Leader-Telegram biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens Bozeman Daily Chronicle in a new tab)
Bozeman Daily Chronicle — is Bozeman Daily Chronicle biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens Joplin Globe in a new tab)
Joplin Globe — is Joplin Globe biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens Cecil Daily in a new tab)
Cecil Daily — is Cecil Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures and oil prices hold steady (opens WKMG in a new tab)
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
2- Markets Attentive to the Fed: Asian Stock Exchanges Rise and Oil Again Gives Way Despite the Tension in Ormuz (opens Perfil in a new tab)
- Asian shares are mostly higher while US futures, oil prices hold steady (opens awazthevoice.in in a new tab)
awazthevoice.in — is awazthevoice.in biased? Our profile of this outlet
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover US markets drift near record highs as retail earnings loom?
- Of the 18 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 20. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US markets drift near record highs as retail earnings loom left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 18 rated outlets on this story, 50% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of US markets drift near record highs as retail earnings loom biased?
- US markets drift near record highs as retail earnings loom is one event reported by 20 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting US markets drift near record highs as retail earnings loom?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered US markets drift near record highs as retail earnings loom?
- 20 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How did the US stock indices perform?
- The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% but stayed near its all-time high from 14 August 2026. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 163 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite remained virtually unchanged during Monday trading.
- Why are retail earnings important this week?
- Major retailers like Home Depot, Target, and Walmart are due to release profit reports this week. These results may provide insight into how consumers are managing high inflation and a slowing job market, which could influence broader economic outlooks.
- What is affecting oil prices?
- The price of Brent crude rose 0.4% to $88.87 on 17 August 2026. Market volatility in the energy sector has been driven by tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty regarding potential deals between the United States and Iran.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
