S&P 500 Building on Record as Strong Economic Data Lift Stock FuturesStock Market News From July 18, 2025: Nasdaq Marks Record HighLast Updated:Updated 1 day agoStocks were headed for further gains on Friday, with investors still feeling optimistic about the health of the U.S. economy thanks to a strong batch of retail sales and jobs data.Futures tracking the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 54 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.1% and contracts tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 climbed 0.1%, after both indexes closed at record highs.Figures published Thursday showed retail spending rose at a faster-than-expected rate in June, and the number of jobless claims for last week came in below economists’ expectations. That has helped shore up confidence in the U.S. economy.