S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
The US NFIB Small Business Optimism Index jumped to 99.8 in July 2026, the highest since August last year, compared to 97.4 in June and beating forecasts of 97.5. Of the 10 Optimism Index components, eight increased, and two decreased. Hiring plans hit their highest level since October 2022 and contributed most to the rise in the Index, with a net 20% of owners planning to create new jobs over the next three months, up 9 points from June. In July, the top reported issue was labor quality or availability. Also, both actual and planned price increases dropped notably from June. The net percent of owners raising average selling prices fell 7 points to a net 31% and a net 28% plan to increase prices, down 4 points from June. Real sales expectations and reports of inventory levels as “too low” both fell by 2 points. However, the Uncertainty Index rose 2 points, driven by an increase in owners reporting uncertainty about whether it is a good time to expand and capital expenditure plans.
