The New York Stock Exchange is expected to open slightly higher on Monday, as investors await data that could fuel discussions on the reality of a looming recession.

Half an hour before the opening, futures contracts on the main New York indices were trading between 0.1% and 0.2% higher, heralding a rather favorable start to the week.

Signs of nervousness have been multiplying on Wall Street in recent weeks, where last week the Dow Jones interrupted a series of four consecutive weeks of gains by retreating by more than 2%.

The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, has officially entered correction territory, plummeting more than 10% from its recent high of July 10.

After an idyllic first half of the year for the stock markets, managers and analysts are now turning their anxious eyes to a second half of the year that could bring even more turbulence.

The main question on the minds of market participants will be whether the US economy is heading for a soft landing, or a possible slide back into recession.

The trend could be particularly influenced by US retail sales figures for July, due to be published on Thursday.

The consensus is for a 0.3% increase in sales, following stability the previous month, which would testify to the strength of consumer demand.

Inflation figures, meanwhile, should confirm

On the US earnings front, consumer spending will also be in the spotlight this week, with Home Depot's quarterly results due tomorrow, followed by Walmart's on Thursday.

The performance of Cisco, the network equipment giant, will also be closely watched.

On the bond market, the yield on 10-year Treasuries remains stable at around 3.95%, at one-year lows, testifying to investors' risk aversion and search for quality.

The oil market confirms its recent rebound, with US light crude up 1.3% at $77.8.

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