S&P 500 up 0.38% — Market Pulse · Jul 15, 2026

U.S. stocks finished higher on July 15, with the S&P 500 up 28.81 points, or 0.38%, to 7572.4 and the Nasdaq Composite up 162.22 points, or 0.62%, to 26269.23. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 150.37 points, or 0.29%, to 52658.64, while the Russell 2000 rose 11.5 points, or 0.39%, to 2976.26.

Key Takeaways

• S&P 500 closed up 0.38% at 7,572.40.
• Market breadth finished with 257 advancers, 246 decliners, and a 1.045 advance/decline ratio.
• Communication Services led sectors at +1.73%, while Technology lagged at -1.11%.
• VIX ended at 15.67 in the latest five-session lookback.
• SPY’s first resistance is 753.93 and first support is 749.33.

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Market Breadth: Indexes grind higher as breadth steadies, even with Technology lagging

Metric	Jul 9	Jul 10	Jul 13	Jul 14	Jul 15
Advance/Decline Ratio	1.490	2.112	1.197	0.684	1.045
Advances	301	340	274	203	257
Declines	202	161	229	297	246
Advancing Volume	61.3%	63.1%	49.3%	45.0%	57.1%
Stocks Near 52-Week Highs	13	13	23	20	20
Stocks Near 52-Week Lows	1	2	2	6	4
% Above 20-Day MA	59.2%	62.4%	62.8%	57.7%	52.7%
% Above 50-Day MA	64.8%	68.2%	65.8%	63.4%	62.0%
% Above 200-Day MA	64.8%	67.2%	67.6%	66.4%	66.8%

Breadth was positive, but only slightly. Advancers edged decliners 257 to 246, for an advance-decline ratio of 1.045, and advancing volume reached 57.06%. That marked an improvement from July 14, when decliners led 297 to 203 and advancing volume was 44.98%. Even so, participation remained mixed, with 52.49% of stocks above their 20-day moving average, 60.64% above the 50-day, and 64.21% above the 200-day.

Explore the full dashboard: Market breadth.

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Market Performance: Major Indexes

Index	Close	Change	% Change
S&P 500	7,572.40	28.81	+0.38%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	52,658.64	150.37	+0.29%
Nasdaq Composite	26,269.23	162.22	+0.62%
Russell 2000	2,976.26	11.50	+0.39%

Five-session context:

Index	Jul 9	Jul 10	Jul 13	Jul 14	Jul 15
S&P 500	+0.81%	+0.42%	-0.79%	+0.38%	+0.38%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	+0.27%	+0.29%	-0.26%	+0.02%	+0.29%
Nasdaq Composite	+1.30%	+0.29%	-1.55%	+0.90%	+0.62%
Russell 2000	+1.22%	-0.49%	-0.83%	+0.39%	+0.39%

The Nasdaq led the major indexes with a 0.62% gain, while the S&P 500 rose 0.38%, the Russell 2000 added 0.39%, and the Dow climbed 0.29%. Over the past five sessions, the path has not been straight. The S&P 500 fell 0.79% on July 13 before back-to-back 0.38% gains, and the Nasdaq dropped 1.55% on July 13 before rebounding 0.9% and 0.62% in the next two sessions.

Explore the full dashboard: Market snapshot.

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Sector View: Leaders and Laggards

• Leaders: Communication Services (XLC +1.73%), Consumer Discretionary (XLY +0.95%), Financials (XLF +0.68%), Real Estate (XLRE +0.18%), Consumer Staples (XLP +0.06%)
• Laggards: Technology (XLK -1.11%), Utilities (XLU -1.03%), Energy (XLE -0.79%), Materials (XLB -0.28%), Industrials (XLI -0.22%)

Leadership came from Communication Services, with XLC up 1.73%, followed by Consumer Discretionary at 0.95% and Financials at 0.68%. Real Estate and Consumer Staples also finished in the green, though only modestly at 0.18% and 0.06%. The weak spot was Technology, where XLK fell 1.11%. Utilities lost 1.03% and Energy slipped 0.79%, showing that index gains came with notable rotation under the surface.

Explore the full dashboard: Sector performance.

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Volatility: VIX and ETF Implied Volatility

Metric	Jul 9	Jul 10	Jul 13	Jul 14	Jul 15
VIX Level	15.84	15.03	17.16	16.50	15.67

• SPY IV: 9.16% (Low)
• QQQ IV: 19.13% (Normal)
• IWM IV: 14.10% (Low)
• DIA IV: 10.72% (Low)

Volatility eased again. The VIX closed at 15.67, down from 16.5 on July 14 and 17.16 on July 13, though still above 15.03 on July 10. ETF implied volatility readings also pointed to a fairly calm backdrop: SPY at 9.16% and IWM at 14.10%, both labeled Low, DIA at 10.72%, also Low, and QQQ at 19.13%, labeled Normal.

Explore the full dashboard: Volatility.

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Headlines Moving Markets

The day’s backdrop centered on inflation and earnings. The catalysts package flagged an official CPI release today, while Reuters highlighted a soft U.S. inflation reading and solid bank earnings as support for stocks. At the same time, Reuters coverage pointed to fresh U.S. strikes on Iran, Jones Act waiver discussions, and oil prices rising 2% to a one-month high, keeping geopolitical and energy risks in focus.

• Stocks rise after soft US inflation reading with Middle East in focus - Reuters
• S&P 500 and Nasdaq end higher on cool inflation data, solid bank earnings - Reuters
• US says it has begun new wave of strikes on Iran - Reuters
• White House weighs extending Jones Act waivers as Iran conflict raises price concerns - Reuters
• Oil prices rise 2% to one-month high as US-Iran attacks deepen supply disruption - Reuters
• Apple’s China breakthrough on AI provides another tailwind for its stock
• Buffett says Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair was ‘good choice’
• Minutes of the Board’s discount rate meetings on June 8 and June 17, 2026
• GDP, (Third Estimate), Industries, Corporate Profits, State GDP, and State Personal Income, 1st Quarter 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, May 2026
• Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement
• Federal Reserve Board and Federal Open Market Committee release economic projections from the June 16-17 FOMC meeting

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Technical Snapshot (SPY)

Level	Jul 9	Jul 10	Jul 13	Jul 14	Jul 15
20-day SMA	740.90	741.72	743.28	743.95	744.56
50-day SMA	738.19	738.96	739.86	740.65	741.35
200-day SMA	690.11	690.58	691.05	691.50	691.99

Near-term pivot structure, based on 2026-07-14:

• Resistance: 753.93 (R1), then 755.92 (R2)
• Pivot: 751.32
• Support: 749.33 (S1), then 746.72 (S2)

SPY technical levels offer a useful near-term map. Using the July 14 reference, the traditional pivot sits at 751.32, with resistance at 753.93 and 755.92, and support at 749.33 and 746.72. The SPY 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day simple moving averages stand at 744.56, 741.35, and 691.99, respectively. Those averages have been rising over the past five sessions, which suggests the broader trend is still constructive even as short-term participation has cooled from earlier in the week.

Explore the full dashboard: Support & Resistance levels.

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What to Watch Next

• Breadth follow-through after the advance-decline ratio improved to 1.045 from 0.684 a day earlier.
• Whether Technology can stabilize after XLK fell 1.11% even as the Nasdaq gained 0.62%.
• VIX behavior near 15.67, especially after the quick swing from 17.16 on July 13 back toward the July 10 low of 15.03.
• SPY around the 751.32 pivot, with 753.93 and 755.92 as nearby resistance and 749.33 and 746.72 as support.
• Financials strength. XLF rose 0.68%, and options whale activity showed bullish premium in Financials with a 1.11 call-put ratio.
• Geopolitics and oil, given Reuters reports on Iran strikes and a 2% rise in oil prices to a one-month high.

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Bottom Line

July 15 brought another higher close for the major indexes, and breadth improved from the prior session. Still, the advance was not especially broad, and sector action remained uneven with Technology lagging. Lower volatility and rising index trends are supportive, but participation will matter if this move is going to keep building.

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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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