After completing the recruitment on Friday, the broad S&P 500 index had fallen back 0.6 percent, the Dow Jones industrial index 0.2 and the technology-heavy Nasdaq's composite index 1.2 percent.
New figures show that the so-called PCE inflation in the US was 2.6 percent in July, compared to the same period last year. The average forecast among analysts was exactly 2.6 percent.
The PCE inflation is seen by the US central bank Federal Reserve (Fed) as the most important price increase measure when decisions on future interest rates are made.
Decrease in September
The central bank's inflation target is 2 percent, but weighs it against the risks for the labor market. Now, investors will carefully review all job statistics ahead of the next interest rate meeting in mid-September.
Today's PCE price index will focus on the labor market. For now, the odds are still in favor of a decrease in September, says Ellen Zentner, chief strategist at the financial advisory firm Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, to CNBC.
Among individual companies that stood out from the crowd on Friday, not least the circuit board manufacturer Marvell and the computer manufacturer fell 18.6 and 8.9 percent, respectively, after quarterly reports.
Overall, it was a dull day for AI-related companies. Index-heavy semiconductor players like Amazon, AMD, Broadcom, Intel, Nvidia, Palantir, and TSMC all lost more or less significantly in value.
Up during the month
During the week, the S&P 500 index fell back 0.1 percent, while the Dow Jones industrial index and Nasdaq's composite index both fell 0.2 percent.
Despite the losses, all three major indexes have risen during August, for the S&P 500 it was the fourth month in a row with rising prices.
It may be needed considering that September is traditionally the worst month of the year for all three indexes. Analysts predict a fall in September of an average of 0.7 percent.
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