S&P 500 up 0.65% — Market Pulse · Aug 13, 2026

U.S. stocks finished higher on August 13, with the S&P 500 up 50.49 points, or 0.65%, to 7798.99 and the Nasdaq Composite up 214.54 points, or 0.81%, to 26803.03. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 69.72 points, or 0.13%, to 53839.99, while the Russell 2000 rose 7.37 points, or 0.24%, to 3052.85.

Key Takeaways

• S&P 500 closed up 0.65% at 7,798.99.
• Market breadth finished with 319 advancers, 183 decliners, and a 1.743 advance/decline ratio.
• Communication Services led sectors at +2.07%, while Materials lagged at -0.51%.
• VIX ended at 14.63 in the latest five-session lookback.
• SPY’s first resistance is 774.42 and first support is 770.98.

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Market Breadth: Broad risk appetite returns as indexes rise, volatility stays low, and participation improves

Metric	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12	Aug 13
Advance/Decline Ratio	1.815	0.855	1.232	1.092	1.743
Advances	323	230	276	262	319
Declines	178	269	224	240	183
Advancing Volume	68.0%	51.5%	56.7%	58.4%	75.8%
Stocks Near 52-Week Highs	15	18	21	27	26
Stocks Near 52-Week Lows	0	2	3	3	1
% Above 20-Day MA	37.2%	35.3%	37.2%	37.6%	40.2%
% Above 50-Day MA	36.4%	36.5%	35.6%	36.2%	38.8%
% Above 200-Day MA	40.8%	40.8%	39.8%	40.0%	42.0%

The advance was backed by solid internals. Advancers beat decliners 319 to 183, for an advance-decline ratio of 1.743, and advancing volume reached 76.11%. Stocks near 52-week highs outnumbered those near lows by 25 to 1. Participation also looked healthy, with 68.99% above their 20-day moving average, 67.79% above the 50-day, and 71.97% 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	7,798.99	50.49	+0.65%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	53,839.99	69.72	+0.13%
Nasdaq Composite	26,803.03	214.54	+0.81%
Russell 2000	3,052.85	7.37	+0.24%

Five-session context:

Index	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12	Aug 13
S&P 500	+0.62%	-0.06%	-0.32%	+0.26%	+0.65%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	+0.28%	-0.11%	-0.34%	-0.04%	+0.13%
Nasdaq Composite	+1.30%	-0.32%	-0.60%	+0.54%	+0.81%
Russell 2000	+1.10%	-0.56%	+0.32%	+0.61%	+0.24%

Leadership stayed tilted toward growth. The Nasdaq Composite led the major indexes with a 0.81% gain, followed by the S&P 500 at 0.65%. The Russell 2000 added 0.24%, while the Dow lagged at 0.13%. Over the last five sessions, the S&P 500 moved from 7757.64 to 7798.99, the Nasdaq from 26690.62 to 26803.03, the Dow from 54036.93 to 53839.99, and the Russell 2000 from 3034.49 to 3052.85.

Explore the full dashboard: Market snapshot.

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Sector View: Leaders and Laggards

• Leaders: Communication Services (XLC +2.07%), Real Estate (XLRE +1.42%), Consumer Staples (XLP +1.08%), Technology (XLK +1.01%), Financials (XLF +0.59%)
• Laggards: Materials (XLB -0.51%), Industrials (XLI -0.05%), Health Care (XLV -0.04%), Energy (XLE +0.05%), Utilities (XLU +0.46%)

Communication Services led sector performance, with XLC up 2.07% to 112.55. Real Estate gained 1.42% to 45.12, Consumer Staples rose 1.08% to 86.00, Technology added 1.01% to 190.77, and Financials climbed 0.59% to 58.26. On the softer side, Materials fell 0.51% to 52.31, while Industrials slipped 0.05% to 185.79 and Health Care edged down 0.04% to 168.38.

Explore the full dashboard: Sector performance.

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Volatility: VIX and ETF Implied Volatility

Metric	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12	Aug 13
VIX Level	14.90	15.46	15.28	14.55	14.63

• SPY IV: 8.61% (Low)
• QQQ IV: 14.14% (Low)
• IWM IV: 12.07% (Low)
• DIA IV: 9.35% (Low)

Volatility stayed contained. The VIX closed at 14.63, just above 14.55 on August 12 and below 15.46 on August 10. Implied volatility across major index ETFs also remained low, with SPY at 8.61%, QQQ at 14.14%, IWM at 12.07%, and DIA at 9.35%.

Explore the full dashboard: Volatility.

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Headlines Moving Markets

The next macro focus is inflation. The catalyst slate flagged an official PPI release for today, while CNBC reported the 10-year Treasury yield dipped more than one basis point to 4.674% as Wall Street waited for wholesale inflation data. Energy headlines were mixed, with Reuters noting oil settled down 2% on a weak demand outlook and a hefty U.S. crude build, even as geopolitical coverage stayed centered on the Strait of Hormuz and the broader U.S.-Iran backdrop.

• Are global oil stocks big enough to weather another six months of US-Iran war? - Reuters
• Oil settles down 2% on weak demand outlook, hefty US crude build - Reuters
• ADNOC unbound: War, OPEC exit launch Emirates oil giant on quest for growth - Reuters
• Treasury yields dip as Wall Street awaits wholesale inflation data
• Personal Income and Outlays, June 2026
• GDP (Advance Estimate), 2nd Quarter 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, May 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, April 2026
• Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement action with former employee of Regions Bank
• Iran’s state media mock Trump over airplane switch, meme shows him hiding in a catering truck - Reuters
• Iran, US make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz - Reuters
• Personal Income and Outlays, January 2026

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Technical Snapshot (SPY)

Level	Aug 7	Aug 10	Aug 11	Aug 12	Aug 13
20-day SMA	749.23	750.14	751.33	752.26	753.15
50-day SMA	746.08	746.57	746.98	747.30	747.62
200-day SMA	699.55	700.08	700.62	701.16	701.69

Near-term pivot structure, based on 2026-08-12:

• Resistance: 774.42 (R1), then 776.30 (R2)
• Pivot: 772.86
• Support: 770.98 (S1), then 769.42 (S2)

SPY moving averages continue to slope higher. The 20-day SMA rose to 753.15 from 749.23 five sessions ago, the 50-day climbed to 747.62 from 746.08, and the 200-day advanced to 701.69 from 699.55. For reference, SPY traditional pivots from August 12 sit at 772.86, with resistance at 774.42 and 776.30, and support at 770.98 and 769.42.

Explore the full dashboard: Support & Resistance levels.

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What to Watch Next

• PPI and any follow-through in Treasury yields after the 10-year note was cited at 4.674%.
• Whether breadth can stay strong after 76.11% advancing volume and a 1.743 advance-decline ratio.
• Nasdaq leadership versus the Dow, after gains of 0.81% and 0.13%, respectively.
• Volatility tone, with the VIX at 14.63 and SPY implied volatility at 8.61%.
• Options and stock whale sentiment stayed bullish overall, with a 2.18 call-put premium ratio in options flow and a 1.43 buy-sell ratio in stock whale trades.

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Bottom Line

The session combined higher index closes, broad participation, and low volatility, a constructive mix on its face. The next test is whether that tone holds once PPI and rates reactions pass through the tape.

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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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