S&P 500 up 0.06% — Market Pulse · Aug 26, 2026

U.S. stocks ended nearly flat on Aug. 26, with the S&P 500 rising 4.64 points to 7681.92 and the Nasdaq Composite essentially unchanged at 26151.47. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 124.96 points to 53452.44, while the Russell 2000 fell 3.04 points to 3006.98.

Key Takeaways

• S&P 500 closed up 0.06% at 7,681.92.
• Market breadth finished with 303 advancers, 200 decliners, and a 1.515 advance/decline ratio.
• Industrials led sectors at +1.02%, while Health Care lagged at -0.86%.
• VIX ended at 15.43 in the latest five-session lookback.
• SPY’s first resistance is 767.31 and first support is 763.68.

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Market Breadth: Mixed index finish, firmer breadth, and calm volatility keep the tape steady

Metric	Aug 20	Aug 21	Aug 24	Aug 25	Aug 26
Advance/Decline Ratio	0.463	2.000	1.564	0.704	1.515
Advances	158	334	305	207	303
Declines	341	167	195	294	200
Advancing Volume	28.5%	64.4%	49.4%	56.5%	42.1%
Stocks Near 52-Week Highs	5	19	17	23	11
Stocks Near 52-Week Lows	4	4	5	3	3
% Above 20-Day MA	45.7%	50.1%	53.3%	51.5%	53.5%
% Above 50-Day MA	54.5%	57.9%	60.4%	58.9%	59.4%
% Above 200-Day MA	73.0%	72.2%	74.0%	72.0%	72.8%

Under the surface, participation looked better than the index action suggested. Advancers beat decliners 303 to 200, for an advance-decline ratio of 1.515, after a weaker 207 to 294 reading on Aug. 25. At the same time, 53.08% of stocks closed above their 20-day moving average, 58.05% stayed above the 50-day, and 68.99% remained 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	7,681.92	4.64	+0.06%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	53,452.44	-124.96	-0.23%
Nasdaq Composite	26,151.47	0.17	0.00%
Russell 2000	3,006.98	-3.04	-0.10%

Five-session context:

Index	Aug 20	Aug 21	Aug 24	Aug 25	Aug 26
S&P 500	-0.87%	+0.43%	-0.28%	+0.32%	+0.06%
Dow Jones Industrial Average	-1.32%	+0.98%	+0.26%	+0.30%	-0.23%
Nasdaq Composite	-1.00%	+0.43%	-0.76%	+0.66%	0.00%
Russell 2000	-1.34%	+0.85%	-0.76%	+0.50%	-0.10%

The day was quiet at the top index level. The S&P 500 gained 0.06%, the Nasdaq Composite was flat, the Dow fell 0.23%, and the Russell 2000 lost 0.10%. Over the past five sessions, trading has been choppy rather than one-way, with each major index posting both up and down days.

Explore the full dashboard: Market snapshot.

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Sector View: Leaders and Laggards

• Leaders: Industrials (XLI +1.02%), Technology (XLK +0.72%), Energy (XLE +0.61%), Utilities (XLU +0.37%), Materials (XLB +0.17%)
• Laggards: Health Care (XLV -0.86%), Consumer Discretionary (XLY -0.65%), Real Estate (XLRE -0.57%), Consumer Staples (XLP -0.22%), Communication Services (XLC -0.21%)

Leadership tilted toward cyclical growth and industrial exposure. Industrials led with XLI up 1.02%, followed by Technology, XLK, up 0.72%, and Energy, XLE, up 0.61%. On the weaker side, Health Care, XLV, fell 0.86%, Consumer Discretionary, XLY, lost 0.65%, and Real Estate, XLRE, slipped 0.57%.

Explore the full dashboard: Sector performance.

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Volatility: VIX and ETF Implied Volatility

Metric	Aug 20	Aug 21	Aug 24	Aug 25	Aug 26
VIX Level	16.01	15.13	15.85	15.45	15.43

• SPY IV: 10.89% (Low)
• QQQ IV: 16.65% (Normal)
• IWM IV: 14.21% (Low)
• DIA IV: 11.48% (Low)

Volatility stayed contained. The VIX closed at 15.42, down from 15.45 the prior session and below 16.01 from Aug. 20. Implied volatility also looked calm across major ETFs, with SPY at 10.89%, IWM at 14.21%, and DIA at 11.48%, all labeled Low, while QQQ sat at 16.65%, labeled Normal.

Explore the full dashboard: Volatility.

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Headlines Moving Markets

Investors had fresh macro data to digest. The BEA’s second estimate showed real GDP rising at a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter of 2026, down from 2.1% in the first quarter. The BEA also reported July personal income up $115.1 billion, or 0.4%, disposable personal income up $125.9 billion, or 0.5%, and personal consumption expenditures up $36.3 billion, or 0.2%. On the company side, CNBC flagged a major earnings night led by Nvidia, while Okta shares popped 15% after topping estimates.

• GDP (Second Estimate) and Corporate Profits, 2nd Quarter 2026
• Personal Income and Outlays, July 2026
• Minutes of the Board’s discount rate meetings on July 20 and July 29, 2026
• Oil settles down more than 3%; investors shrug off US sanctions on Iran - Reuters
• Iran and Oman reach agreements on share of Hormuz and revenues, Revolutionary Guards say - Reuters
• Oil settles down after choppy session as investors weigh Hormuz talks - Reuters
• Jim Cramer’s top 10 things to watch in the stock market Wednesday
• Okta pops 15% after topping estimates as AI threat spikes demand for identity security
• European shares muted as investors assess Iran-Oman talks, U.S. inflation - Reuters
• FTSE 100 edges lower as healthcare, energy stocks weigh; Iran-Oman talks in focus - Reuters
• Nvidia, CrowdStike and Salesforce face big tests tonight. Here’s what we need to see
• We’re buying the dip — again — in a retailer not getting credit for addressing weak sales

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Technical Snapshot (SPY)

Level	Aug 20	Aug 21	Aug 24	Aug 25	Aug 26
20-day SMA	759.72	760.94	762.28	763.51	764.76
50-day SMA	750.13	750.68	751.52	752.07	752.59
200-day SMA	704.07	704.50	704.94	705.41	705.88

Near-term pivot structure, based on 2026-08-25:

• Resistance: 767.31 (R1), then 768.83 (R2)
• Pivot: 765.20
• Support: 763.68 (S1), then 761.57 (S2)

SPY’s technical map remains tightly stacked. Traditional pivot support and resistance sit at 763.68 and 767.31, with a higher resistance level at 768.83. The 20-day SMA rose to 764.76 on Aug. 26 from 763.51 on Aug. 25, while the 50-day and 200-day SMAs climbed to 752.59 and 705.88, respectively.

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 1.515 from 0.704 a day earlier.
• SPY around 767.31 resistance and 763.68 support, with the 20-day SMA now at 764.76.
• Whether Industrials at 1.02% and Technology at 0.72% can keep leading if Health Care and Consumer Discretionary stay soft.
• Volatility check: VIX at 15.42, plus whether QQQ implied volatility at 16.65% stays above SPY at 10.89%.
• Macro digestion from the 1.5% second-estimate GDP reading and July income, spending, and saving data.
• Earnings reaction around Nvidia and any spillover after Okta’s 15% jump.

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Bottom Line

The market’s headline move was muted, but the internal picture improved. Better breadth, steady long-term participation, and a subdued VIX point to a market that remains stable, even as sector splits and incoming macro and earnings news keep the near-term tone selective.

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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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