S&P 500 up 0.81% — Market Pulse · Jul 9, 2026

U.S. stocks regained their footing on July 9. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 336.24 points, or 1.30%, to 26,206.89, the Russell 2000 rose 1.22% to 2,992.54, and the S&P 500 added 60.93 points, or 0.81%, to 7,543.64. The Dow also finished higher, up 139.02 points, or 0.27%, to 52,487.41.

Key Takeaways

• S&P 500 closed up 0.81% at 7,543.64.
• Market breadth finished with 301 advancers, 202 decliners, and a 1.490 advance/decline ratio.
• Technology led sectors at +2.18%, while Consumer Staples lagged at -1.41%.
• VIX ended at 15.84 in the latest five-session lookback.
• SPY’s first resistance is 750.71 and first support is 745.05.

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Market Breadth: Risk appetite returned as tech and small caps led a broad rebound

Metric	Jul 2	Jul 6	Jul 7	Jul 8	Jul 9
Advance/Decline Ratio	2.462	0.786	1.313	0.286	1.490
Advances	357	220	285	112	301
Declines	145	280	217	391	202
Advancing Volume	58.9%	48.4%	55.2%	33.5%	61.6%
Stocks Near 52-Week Highs	50	30	19	5	13
Stocks Near 52-Week Lows	0	0	0	1	1
% Above 20-Day MA	68.0%	67.8%	66.8%	57.7%	59.2%
% Above 50-Day MA	67.0%	68.4%	67.6%	63.8%	64.8%
% Above 200-Day MA	67.0%	66.8%	67.4%	64.4%	64.8%

The rebound had decent participation. Advancers beat decliners by 301 to 202, for an advance-decline ratio of 1.49, and about 61.72% of volume flowed into rising stocks. That was a sharp turn from July 8, when only 112 stocks advanced against 391 decliners and advancing volume was 33.51%. Even so, participation remains below the stronger readings seen on July 2, when 67.99% of stocks were above their 20-day average and 50 stocks sat near 52-week highs.

Explore the full dashboard: Market breadth.

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Market Performance: Major Indexes

Index	Close	Change	% Change
S&P 500	7,543.64	60.93	+0.81%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	52,487.41	139.02	+0.27%
Nasdaq Composite	26,206.89	336.24	+1.30%
Russell 2000	2,992.54	36.15	+1.22%

Five-session context:

Index	Jul 2	Jul 6	Jul 7	Jul 8	Jul 9
S&P 500	0.00%	+0.72%	-0.45%	-0.28%	+0.81%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	+1.14%	+0.29%	-0.25%	-1.09%	+0.27%
Nasdaq Composite	-0.80%	+1.12%	-1.16%	+0.20%	+1.30%
Russell 2000	-0.55%	+0.45%	-0.90%	-0.88%	+1.22%

Leadership tilted toward growth and smaller stocks. The Nasdaq Composite led the major indexes with a 1.30% gain, followed by the Russell 2000 at 1.22%, the S&P 500 at 0.81%, and the Dow at 0.27%. Over the last five sessions, the S&P 500 moved from 7,483.24 to 7,543.64, while the Nasdaq advanced from 25,832.67 to 26,206.89. The Dow has been choppier, sliding from 53,055.91 on July 6 to 52,487.41 on July 9.

Explore the full dashboard: Market snapshot.

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Sector View: Leaders and Laggards

• Leaders: Technology (XLK +2.18%), Consumer Discretionary (XLY +1.34%), Financials (XLF +1.04%), Communication Services (XLC +0.96%), Industrials (XLI +0.38%)
• Laggards: Consumer Staples (XLP -1.41%), Energy (XLE -1.40%), Utilities (XLU -0.51%), Health Care (XLV -0.08%), Real Estate (XLRE +0.18%)

Technology set the pace. XLK rose 2.18% to 185.35, with Consumer Discretionary up 1.34% to 116.85 and Financials up 1.04% to 55.54. Communication Services also added 0.96% to 110.51. On the other side, Consumer Staples fell 1.41% to 83.20, Energy dropped 1.40% to 54.82, and Utilities slipped 0.51% to 45.13. The split points to a more risk-on tone, but not a uniform one.

Explore the full dashboard: Sector performance.

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Volatility: VIX and ETF Implied Volatility

Metric	Jul 2	Jul 6	Jul 7	Jul 8	Jul 9
VIX Level	16.15	15.57	16.13	16.90	15.84

• SPY IV: 10.37% (Low)
• QQQ IV: 19.46% (Normal)
• IWM IV: 15.92% (Normal)
• DIA IV: 10.73% (Low)

Volatility cooled after Wednesday’s jump. The VIX closed at 15.84, down from 16.90 on July 8 and below 16.13 on July 7. Options pricing stayed contained in the major ETFs, with SPY implied volatility at 10.37% and DIA at 10.73%, both labeled Low, while QQQ sat at 19.46% and IWM at 15.92%, both labeled Normal.

Explore the full dashboard: Volatility.

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Headlines Moving Markets

The policy backdrop stayed in focus. The top-ranked official catalyst was the Federal Reserve’s announcement of the leadership and objectives of its task forces to advance the conduct of monetary policy, released on July 9. Markets were also digesting the June 16-17, 2026 FOMC minutes released on July 8. In the options data, overall whale sentiment leaned bullish with a 2.23 call-put premium ratio, while stock whale sentiment leaned bearish with a 0.25 buy-sell ratio, a reminder that positioning was mixed beneath the index rebound.

• Federal Reserve announces the leadership and objectives of its task forces to advance the conduct of monetary policy
• Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, June 16-17, 2026
• Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement action with TS Banking Group, Inc. and TS Contrarian Bancshares, Inc.
• Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement
• Federal Reserve Board and Federal Open Market Committee release economic projections from the June 16-17 FOMC meeting
• GDP, (Third Estimate), Industries, Corporate Profits, State GDP, and State Personal Income, 1st Quarter 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, May 2026
• Federal Reserve Board requests comment on a proposal to amend its requirements for banks to maintain anti-money laundering programs
• Personal Income and Outlays, April 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, January 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, December 2025
• Body of slain Iranian supreme leader arrives at Shi’ite shrine for burial - Reuters

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Technical Snapshot (SPY)

Level	Jul 2	Jul 6	Jul 7	Jul 8	Jul 9
20-day SMA	740.45	740.08	739.89	—	—
50-day SMA	735.01	735.87	736.71	—	—
200-day SMA	688.23	688.69	689.18	—	—

Near-term pivot structure, based on 2026-07-07:

• Resistance: 750.71 (R1), then 753.66 (R2)
• Pivot: 747.99
• Support: 745.05 (S1), then 742.33 (S2)

The S&P 500 finished above the SPY reference pivot set from July 7. Traditional pivot levels show P at 747.99, R1 at 750.71, R2 at 753.66, S1 at 745.05, and S2 at 742.33. The moving average backdrop also remains constructive, with SPY’s 20-day SMA at 740.50, 50-day SMA at 737.53, and 200-day SMA at 689.66 on the latest available reading. Across the market, 58.65% of stocks were above their 20-day average, 62.82% above their 50-day, and 62.43% above their 200-day.

Explore the full dashboard: Support & Resistance levels.

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What to Watch Next

• Breadth follow-through after the jump from 112 advancers on July 8 to 301 on July 9.
• Whether XLK at 185.35 and XLY at 116.85 can keep leading while XLP at 83.20 and XLE at 54.82 lag.
• VIX behavior near 15.84 after the one-day reversal from 16.90.
• SPY pivot structure, especially 750.71 and 753.66 on the upside, with 745.05 as nearby support.
• Positioning split: bullish options whale activity versus bearish stock whale flow.

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Bottom Line

July 9 looked like a healthy rebound, with stronger breadth, a lower VIX, and clear leadership from technology and small caps. Still, participation is better than Wednesday’s weak showing, not yet back to the strongest levels seen earlier in the month.

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Market Pulse provides daily analysis of S&P 500 market breadth, sector rotation, and volatility signals to help investors understand what’s happening beneath the surface. Data sourced from our real-time market breadth collectors. For personalized planning, explore our retirement calculators, investment tools, and FIRE planning resources.

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