Stock market today: US stocks edge higher ahead of key signals on inflation, economy

US stocks rose slightly on Monday, as Wall Street braced for a week full of key economic data signals.

The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) and the Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) popped about 0.3%. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) was higher by less than 0.2%.

Wall Street is coming off a whipsaw week that has left markets jumpy and "on edge." Though the major indexes practically ended last week where they had started , it didn't come without volatility throughout the week.

Strategists say that is likely to continue — and this week comes with plenty of opportunities. Wednesday provides a fresh look at the state of inflation with the latest release of the Consumer Price Index. Then Thursday comes with two key signals on the state of the US consumer: a reading on July's retail sales and Walmart ( WMT ) earnings.

Wall Street once again sees good news as good news , so its volatility this week may depend on the signals those data introduce.

Either way, though, markets are seeing a slowing economy, which has shifted debate from whether the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates in September to how much they should cut them. A small majority of traders expects a 25-basis-point cut next month, while the balance — around 48% — see a bigger, 50-basis-point cut coming.