17.08.202613:38:12UTC+00US Stocks Start Week Muted

US equity benchmarks were little changed on Monday as renewed optimism around the AI trade offset persistent macroeconomic headwinds. The S&P 500 finished roughly flat, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged lower and the Nasdaq 100 ticked higher.

AI hyperscalers and infrastructure providers advanced after Anthropic reported strong revenue growth, reinforcing expectations that AI model development and datacenter capital expenditures will remain robust over the medium term. The company generated $11.5 billion in second‑quarter revenue and is in talks with banks about a potential IPO that could rank as the largest on record.

Memory-chip makers Sandisk and Micron climbed 5% and 6%, respectively, while Nvidia and Amazon posted modest gains. By contrast, more traditional sectors continued to lag, extending last week’s underperformance and leaving the Dow trading slightly below the flatline. Walmart and Home Depot were subdued ahead of their earnings reports later this week.