S&P 500 up 0.21% — Market Pulse · Aug 19, 2026

U.S. stocks bounced modestly on Aug. 19 after recent weakness, but the tone was mixed. The S&P 500 closed at 7707.98, up 16.22 points, or 0.21%, while the Nasdaq Composite added 41.38 points, or 0.16%, to 26331.09. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 119.65 points, or 0.22%, to 53463.05, and the Russell 2000 led with a 0.50% gain to 3032.94.

Key Takeaways

• S&P 500 closed up 0.21% at 7,707.98.
• Market breadth finished with 285 advancers, 217 decliners, and a 1.313 advance/decline ratio.
• Health Care led sectors at +3.51%, while Technology lagged at -1.07%.
• VIX ended at 14.89 in the latest five-session lookback.
• SPY’s first resistance is 768.93 and first support is 766.37.

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Market Breadth: Stocks stabilized as breadth improved, but leadership stayed defensive

Metric	Aug 13	Aug 14	Aug 17	Aug 18	Aug 19
Advance/Decline Ratio	1.743	1.062	0.361	0.832	1.313
Advances	319	255	133	227	285
Declines	183	240	368	273	217
Advancing Volume	75.2%	49.8%	27.9%	43.0%	61.5%
Stocks Near 52-Week Highs	25	15	11	9	14
Stocks Near 52-Week Lows	1	1	4	4	1
% Above 20-Day MA	30.2%	30.8%	29.2%	27.2%	36.8%
% Above 50-Day MA	28.2%	29.0%	26.4%	24.9%	25.8%
% Above 200-Day MA	28.8%	29.4%	28.0%	28.0%	29.4%

Underlying participation improved from the prior session. Advancers beat decliners by 285 to 217, for an advance-decline ratio of 1.313, and 61.53% of volume flowed into rising stocks. That was a step up from Aug. 18, when the advance-decline ratio was 0.832 and advancing volume was 43.03%.

Explore the full dashboard: Market breadth.

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Market Performance: Major Indexes

Index	Close	Change	% Change
S&P 500	7,707.98	16.22	+0.21%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	53,463.05	119.65	+0.22%
Nasdaq Composite	26,331.09	41.38	+0.16%
Russell 2000	3,032.94	15.05	+0.50%

Five-session context:

Index	Aug 13	Aug 14	Aug 17	Aug 18	Aug 19
S&P 500	+0.65%	-0.17%	-0.52%	-0.69%	+0.21%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	+0.13%	-0.20%	-0.51%	-0.22%	+0.22%
Nasdaq Composite	+0.81%	-0.28%	-0.32%	-1.33%	+0.16%
Russell 2000	+0.24%	+0.51%	-0.35%	-1.30%	+0.50%

The daily rebound was broad enough to lift all four major indexes, but it only partly repaired the recent pullback. Over the last five sessions, the S&P 500 fell from 7798.99 to 7707.98, the Nasdaq Composite dropped from 26803.03 to 26331.09, the Dow slipped from 53839.99 to 53463.05, and the Russell 2000 eased from 3052.85 to 3032.94.

Explore the full dashboard: Market snapshot.

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Sector View: Leaders and Laggards

• Leaders: Health Care (XLV +3.51%), Consumer Discretionary (XLY +1.92%), Materials (XLB +1.43%), Consumer Staples (XLP +1.12%), Real Estate (XLRE +0.81%)
• Laggards: Technology (XLK -1.07%), Industrials (XLI -0.88%), Financials (XLF -0.62%), Energy (XLE -0.16%), Utilities (XLU 0.00%)

Leadership leaned defensive and cyclical rather than tech-heavy. Health Care led with XLV up 3.51%, followed by Consumer Discretionary at 1.92%, Materials at 1.43%, Consumer Staples at 1.12%, and Real Estate at 0.81%. Technology lagged with XLK down 1.07%, while Industrials fell 0.88% and Financials lost 0.62%.

Explore the full dashboard: Sector performance.

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Volatility: VIX and ETF Implied Volatility

Metric	Aug 13	Aug 14	Aug 17	Aug 18	Aug 19
VIX Level	14.63	14.25	15.19	15.84	14.89

• SPY IV: 9.29% (Low)
• QQQ IV: 15.60% (Normal)
• IWM IV: 12.21% (Low)
• DIA IV: 10.91% (Low)

Volatility backed off after rising earlier in the week. The VIX closed at 14.89, down from 15.84 on Aug. 18 and below the 15.19 close on Aug. 17. Options pricing also stayed contained in the major ETFs, with SPY implied volatility at 9.29%, IWM at 12.21%, DIA at 10.91%, and QQQ at 15.60%.

Explore the full dashboard: Volatility.

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Headlines Moving Markets

The Federal Reserve published minutes from the July 28 to 29, 2026 FOMC meeting on Aug. 19. Recent macro data in the background showed second quarter real GDP growth at a 1.5% annual rate, down from 2.1% in the first quarter, while June personal income rose 0.2% and personal consumption expenditures increased 0.3%.

• Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, July 28–29, 2026
• GDP (Advance Estimate), 2nd Quarter 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, June 2026
• Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement
• Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, June 16-17, 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, May 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, April 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, January 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, December 2025
• Jim Cramer says buy Target on any pullback as turnaround takes hold
• Wall St rises as yields ease, Moderna lifts healthcare stocks - Reuters
• US warns Siemens devices can be hacked amid fears Iran is breaching water plants - Reuters

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Technical Snapshot (SPY)

Level	Aug 13	Aug 14	Aug 17	Aug 18	Aug 19
20-day SMA	753.15	754.50	756.15	757.67	758.64
50-day SMA	747.62	748.03	748.51	748.86	749.50
200-day SMA	701.69	702.23	702.71	703.17	703.59

Near-term pivot structure, based on 2026-08-18:

• Resistance: 768.93 (R1), then 770.49 (R2)
• Pivot: 767.94
• Support: 766.37 (S1), then 765.38 (S2)

SPY technical levels remain a useful near-term map. Using the Aug. 18 reference, the pivot is 767.94, with resistance at 768.93 and 770.49, and support at 766.37 and 765.38. Trend measures still point higher, with the SPY 20-day SMA at 758.64, the 50-day at 749.5, and the 200-day at 703.59. Those averages have risen steadily over the last five sessions.

Explore the full dashboard: Support & Resistance levels.

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What to Watch Next

• Whether the S&P 500 can build on the move from 7691.76 to 7707.98 after four down days in the last five sessions.
• SPY around 768.93 and 770.49 on the upside, with 766.37 and 765.38 as nearby support.
• Technology leadership. XLK fell 1.07% even as the Nasdaq Composite finished higher at 26331.09.
• Breadth follow-through after advancing volume improved to 61.53% from 43.03% a day earlier.
• Volatility tone, especially if the VIX holds below 15 after closing at 14.89.
• Small caps. The Russell 2000 gained 0.50%, the best move among the major indexes.

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Bottom Line

Aug. 19 brought a measured rebound, helped by firmer breadth and lower volatility. Still, with Technology lagging and the major indexes below their levels from Aug. 13, the next question is whether participation keeps widening or whether this was only a pause in the recent soft patch.

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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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