S&P 500 up 0.26% — Market Pulse · Aug 12, 2026

Stocks finished mixed but mostly firmer on August 12. The S&P 500 rose 20.3 points, or 0.26%, to 7748.5, the Nasdaq Composite added 143.04 points, or 0.54%, to 26588.49, and the Russell 2000 gained 18.36 points, or 0.61%, to 3045.48. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 21.58 points, or 0.04%, to 53770.27.

Key Takeaways

• S&P 500 closed up 0.26% at 7,748.50.
• Market breadth finished with 261 advancers, 241 decliners, and a 1.083 advance/decline ratio.
• Technology led sectors at +1.49%, while Materials lagged at -1.24%.
• VIX ended at 14.55 in the latest five-session lookback.
• SPY’s first resistance is 773.56 and first support is 768.45.

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Market Breadth: Broad gains returned as tech and small caps led, while volatility eased after a CPI-driven session

Metric	Aug 6	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12
Advance/Decline Ratio	0.676	1.815	0.855	1.232	1.083
Advances	202	323	230	276	261
Declines	299	178	269	224	241
Advancing Volume	36.5%	68.0%	51.5%	56.7%	58.9%
Stocks Near 52-Week Highs	9	15	18	21	27
Stocks Near 52-Week Lows	1	0	2	3	3
% Above 20-Day MA	46.5%	49.5%	47.6%	48.7%	49.5%
% Above 50-Day MA	48.1%	48.9%	49.0%	47.5%	48.7%
% Above 200-Day MA	53.1%	54.7%	54.4%	53.7%	53.3%

Market breadth leaned positive, though not decisively so. Advancers beat decliners 261 to 241, for an advance-decline ratio of 1.083, and 58.93% of volume flowed into rising stocks. Leadership at the extremes also stayed constructive, with 26 stocks near 52-week highs versus 3 near lows, a high-low ratio of 8.667.

Explore the full dashboard: Market breadth.

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Market Performance: Major Indexes

Index	Close	Change	% Change
S&P 500	7,748.50	20.30	+0.26%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	53,770.27	-21.58	-0.04%
Nasdaq Composite	26,588.49	143.04	+0.54%
Russell 2000	3,045.48	18.36	+0.61%

Five-session context:

Index	Aug 6	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12
S&P 500	-0.18%	+0.62%	-0.06%	-0.32%	+0.26%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	-0.85%	+0.28%	-0.11%	-0.34%	-0.04%
Nasdaq Composite	-0.06%	+1.30%	-0.32%	-0.60%	+0.54%
Russell 2000	-0.58%	+1.10%	-0.56%	+0.32%	+0.61%

Leadership tilted toward growth and smaller companies. The Nasdaq Composite posted the strongest move among the major benchmarks at 0.54%, followed by the Russell 2000 at 0.61%, while the S&P 500 added 0.26%. The Dow was the outlier, down 0.04%. Over the last five sessions, the tape has been choppy rather than one way, with the S&P 500 moving from 7709.96 on August 6 to 7748.5 on August 12 and the Nasdaq swinging between a 1.3% gain on August 7 and a 0.6% drop on August 11 before rebounding.

Explore the full dashboard: Market snapshot.

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Sector View: Leaders and Laggards

• Leaders: Technology (XLK +1.49%), Real Estate (XLRE +0.93%), Utilities (XLU +0.48%), Consumer Staples (XLP +0.46%), Health Care (XLV +0.26%)
• Laggards: Materials (XLB -1.24%), Consumer Discretionary (XLY -1.13%), Communication Services (XLC -0.90%), Industrials (XLI +0.10%), Energy (XLE +0.16%)

Technology led sector performance, with XLK up 1.49% to 188.86. Real Estate also helped at 44.49, up 0.93%, while Utilities rose 0.48% to 43.84. On the weaker side, Materials fell 1.24% to 52.58, Consumer Discretionary dropped 1.13% to 117.89, and Communication Services lost 0.9% to 110.27. That mix points to selective risk-taking rather than a fully broad cyclical push.

Explore the full dashboard: Sector performance.

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Volatility: VIX and ETF Implied Volatility

Metric	Aug 6	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12
VIX Level	15.15	14.90	15.46	15.28	14.55

• SPY IV: 9.10% (Low)
• QQQ IV: 14.27% (Low)
• IWM IV: 12.59% (Low)
• DIA IV: 10.15% (Low)

Volatility stayed subdued. The VIX closed at 14.55, down from 15.28 the prior session and below the 15.46 close seen on August 10. Implied volatility across major index ETFs also remained low, with SPY at 9.10%, QQQ at 14.27%, IWM at 12.59%, and DIA at 10.15%.

Explore the full dashboard: Volatility.

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Headlines Moving Markets

The main macro focus was inflation. Reuters reported that July CPI met expectations and that consumer prices likely increased moderately as gasoline prices eased. That helped frame the session as a relief move rather than a surprise-driven breakout. Broader backdrop data remained mixed, with the BEA’s advance estimate showing second-quarter 2026 real GDP growth at an annual rate of 1.5%, down from 2.1% in the first quarter.

• Dollar gains, yen slips as US CPI meets expectations - Reuters
• US consumer prices likely increased moderately in July as gasoline prices eased - Reuters
• GDP (Advance Estimate), 2nd Quarter 2026
• Jim Cramer’s top 10 things to watch in the stock market Wednesday
• US budget deficit widens in July on higher outlays, negative tariff receipts - Reuters
• Saudi Red Sea oil exports go dark as Houthi attack threat grows - Reuters
• CoreWeave counters a key bear case on the AI trade. What it means for our data center stocks
• CEO of Intel just gave Jim Cramer one more reason to call it his favorite stock
• Global 2026 oil supply shortfall to deepen as Hormuz reopening remains elusive, IEA says - Reuters
• Trust, but hedge: Quietly violent summer lingers as bulls buy crash protection
• Israel’s military says it targeted a Hamas commander planning attacks in Gaza - Reuters
• How to trade gold prices as Fed rate hike and inflation odds shifts

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Technical Snapshot (SPY)

Level	Aug 6	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12
20-day SMA	748.37	749.23	750.14	751.33	752.26
50-day SMA	745.68	746.08	746.57	746.98	747.30
200-day SMA	699.00	699.55	700.08	700.62	701.16

Near-term pivot structure, based on 2026-08-11:

• Resistance: 773.56 (R1), then 776.60 (R2)
• Pivot: 771.49
• Support: 768.45 (S1), then 766.37 (S2)

Trend gauges still favor the bulls. SPY’s 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day simple moving averages stand at 752.26, 747.3, and 701.16, all well below current index levels. For near-term levels, the SPY pivot is 771.49, with resistance at 773.56 and 776.6, and support at 768.45 and 766.37. Participation also remains solid, with 64.41% of stocks above their 20-day moving average, 64.21% above the 50-day, and 67.79% above the 200-day.

Explore the full dashboard: Support & Resistance levels.

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What to Watch Next

• SPY around the 771.49 pivot, especially whether price can hold above 773.56 and press toward 776.6.
• Breadth follow-through after 58.93% advancing volume and a 261 to 241 advance-decline split.
• Technology leadership. XLK rose 1.49% today, well ahead of most sectors.
• Volatility tone, with the VIX at 14.55 and SPY implied volatility at 9.10%.
• Small-cap relative strength if the Russell 2000, up 0.61% today, keeps outperforming the Dow and S&P 500.
• Options and stock whale positioning: options flow was bullish with a 3.91 call-put ratio, while stock whale flow was also bullish with a 1.58 buy-sell ratio.

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Bottom Line

The session pointed to a constructive but selective market. Gains in the Nasdaq, Russell 2000, and XLK, paired with a VIX close at 14.55 and positive breadth, suggest risk appetite is still present. Still, the narrow gap between advancers and decliners, plus weakness in Materials and Consumer Discretionary, argues for watching whether participation can strengthen from here.

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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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