03:57 PM EDT, 08/16/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended Higher Friday as markets assessed the latest macro data, including a survey showing that consumer sentiment grew more than projected in August.

* US consumer sentiment increased to 67.8 this month from 66.4 in July, preliminary results from the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers showed. The consensus was for a 66.9 reading in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

Consumers' overall expectations strengthened for both personal finances and the five-year economic outlook, which hit its highest level in four months, Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu said. The survey showed consumers' inflation expectations held steady at the one- and five-year horizons.

* US housing starts decreased last month, weighed down by sequential declines in single-family projects, the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development said.

"While there's no denying the July starts and permits data were much worse than anticipated, the recent sharp drop in mortgage rates, if sustained, should enable the residential market to gain some traction going forward," BMO said in a note to clients.

* September West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $1.51 to settle at $76.65 per barrel, while October Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.02 to $80.02 on concerns over the health of China's economy and easing geopolitical worries.

* Madison Square Garden Entertainment ( MSGE ) shares rose 4.4% after the company swung to a fiscal Q4 profit year over year as higher event-related revenue and food and beverage sales helped drive a double-digit topline gain.

* Palo Alto Networks ( PANW ) fell 2.6%. The cybersecurity firm's fiscal 2025 outlook will be a key focus when its reports fiscal Q4 results Monday as it executes its "platformization" strategy, Wedbush Securities said in a Friday note to clients.