US stocks lost ground on the final trading day of July, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.37%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 0.74% and the Nasdaq Composite edging 0.03% lower. A late-session pullback in technology names erased earlier gains, leaving all three benchmarks in the red for the day. The retreat did little to dent a resilient month. The S&P 500 advanced about 2.3% in July, marking a third consecutive monthly increase, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose roughly 3.7% for its fourth straight gain. The Dow finished the month little changed, after lagging its peers earlier in the earnings season. Solid results from Microsoft, Meta and other large technology companies underpinned the broader rally, keeping investor interest in artificial-intelligence spending intact. However, caution grew as the calendar turned toward President Donald Trump’s 1 August deadline for higher tariffs on several trading partners; the White House granted Mexico a 90-day reprieve but left other negotiations unresolved. Monetary policy also remained in focus. The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark rate steady this week, and the latest core Personal Consumption Expenditures index showed inflation still running above the central bank’s 2% goal. Traders now look to the US employment report due 2 August for further clues on whether policymakers could begin easing later this year.