Dow Jones sole riser, posts weekly gains

US stocks fell on Friday but posted weekly gains, supported by forecasts that the Federal Reserve will resume cutting interest rates in September, and the launch of a new round of US-Russia peace talks on Ukraine.

The Dow Jones Industrial rose slightly by 0.10% to 44,946 points, marking weekly gains of 1.74%. The S&P 500 fell 0.29% to 6,449 points but maintained weekly gains of 0.94%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.40% to 21,622 points, reducing its weekly gains to 0.81%.

The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.40% to 21,622 points, cutting its weekly gains to 0.81%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 remained steady at 553 points, achieving weekly gains of 1.18%.

The UK's FTSE 100 fell 0.42% to 9,138 points. Germany's DAX was flat at 9,138 points, while the CAC 40 in France rose 0.67% to 7,923 points.

Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 1.70% to 43,378 points, while the broader Topix index jumped 1.65% to 3,107 points, reaching all-time highs.  

In the commodities market, Brent crude for October delivery fell 1.48% or $0.99 to $65.85 per barrel, resulting in a weekly loss of 1.11%.

The WTI Nymex crude for September delivery declined 1.82% or $1.16 to $62.80 per barrel, marking a weekly loss of 1.70%.

Meanwhile, gold for December delivery remained steady at $3,382.60 per ounce but suffered a weekly loss of 3.1%.

US retail sales rose 0.5% month-on-month to $726.3 billion in July, in line with expectations, indicating continued consumer spending momentum in the world’s largest economy.

On Friday evening, a bilateral summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin began in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.