US briefing archive
Browse past morning, afternoon and weekend briefings, newest dates first.
Showing dates 61–80 of 124
Saturday, August 22, 2026
S&P 500 ends week 1.43% lower as capital rotates out of AI hardware into biotech, gold and crypto
The S&P 500 closed the week to 21 August 2026 at 7,674.37, down 1.43%, with the Nasdaq off 2.05% and the Dow off 0.85%. Health care led all eleven sectors at +4.33% after Moderna and Merck reported positive Phase 3 data for a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, sending MRNA.US up 129.20% and MRK.US up 12.30%. Information technology fell 3.53% as semiconductors and AI optical names sold off, with FN.US down 23.42% despite record quarterly revenue. Bitcoin rose 22.68% to US$77,258 and gold gained 6.85% to US$4,680.60 an ounce.
Friday, August 21, 2026
US Pre-Market: Futures Rebound as Copper and Gold Rally, Ross Stores Jumps 7.6%
S&P 500 futures trade 0.48% higher at 7,699.25 into the Friday 21 August open, recovering part of Thursday's selloff that cut the Dow 1.32% to 52,759.21. Copper is 2.17% higher at US$6.61/lb and gold 1.55% higher at US$4,642.30/oz against a softer dollar, lifting FCX.US 4.04% and SCCO.US 3.49%. Ross Stores ROST.US leads the pre-market at 7.60% after second-quarter comparable sales rose 10%, and the 10-year Treasury yield has stopped climbing at 4.692%.
S&P 500 Rises 0.43% on 21 August 2026 as Goldman Sachs Delivers 43% of the Dow's Gain
The S&P 500 closed at 7,674.37 on 21 August 2026, up 33.21 points or 0.43%, recovering part of Thursday's 0.87% fall. GS.US gained 3.73% and delivered roughly 225 of the Dow's 517.80 point advance on its own. Bitcoin rose 7.48% to $78,164 and closed its best week in two years, lifting HOOD.US 13.70%. Utilities were the weakest sector at -2.28% after Morgan Stanley reset price targets across the group, and the bitcoin miners that now sell AI data-centre capacity fell 5% to 9% even as bitcoin rallied. All three indices still finished the week lower.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
S&P 500 futures fall 0.53% as a Walmart comp miss and a 3.64% crude spike outweigh strong US data
S&P 500 futures traded 0.53% lower at 7,687.75 at 08:38 ET on 20 August 2026, with Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.79%. Walmart WMT.US fell 6.79% to $106.54 after second quarter US comparable sales grew 2.6% against a 3.5% consensus and third quarter revenue guidance of $185.6 billion landed 1.4% below estimates. WTI crude rose 3.64% to $87.46 after President Trump threatened Iran with economic isolation, lifting OXY.US 2.36% and XOM.US 1.83%. The US 10-year returned to 4.71% after the Philadelphia Fed index printed 47.4 against 25 expected and jobless claims fell to 206,000.
S&P 500 Falls 0.87% on 20 August 2026 as Yields Rebound and Walmart Drops 9.15%
The S&P 500 closed at 7,641.16 on 20 August 2026, down 0.87%, after Wednesday’s Treasury buyback relief faded and the 30-year yield returned to 5.24%. Walmart fell 9.15% on 2.6% US comparable sales against a 3.7% forecast. Health care and consumer discretionary led nine of eleven sectors lower, while bitcoin near US$72,789 lifted the listed crypto proxies and Ross Stores reported 10% comparable sales after the bell.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
S&P 500 futures flat as a Phase 3 vaccine result offsets a 5.80% Kospi fall
S&P 500 futures sat at 7,716.50, up 0.03%, at 08:40 ET on 19 August 2026. Moderna MRNA.US traded 91.10% higher and Merck MRK.US 7.20% higher pre-market after their individualized melanoma vaccine met both endpoints in the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial. Marvell MRVL.US rose 11.94% after an SEC filing disclosed an expanded Google custom silicon partnership and a warrant over 58.97 million shares. The Kospi fell 5.80% to 6,471.17 on a Korea Exchange sidecar and the 30-year Treasury yield eased to 5.27%.
S&P 500 closes 0.21% higher as Moderna's 176.97% melanoma result pays for a chip equipment selloff
The S&P 500 closed at 7,707.98 on 19 August 2026, up 0.21%, as health care added about 42 basis points and technology cost about 40. Moderna MRNA.US finished +176.97% at $174.38 after the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial of intismeran autogene plus Keytruda met both endpoints in resected melanoma, carrying Merck MRK.US +12.60%. A US Treasury plan to double longer-dated bond buybacks from 9 September cut the 10-year yield to 4.65% and the dollar index 0.86%, lifting GDX 9.42%. Semiconductor test equipment fell hardest, with AEHR.US -12.41%.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
US Pre-Market, 18 August 2026: Fabrinet Guidance Splits AI Hardware From Its Customers
Nasdaq 100 futures traded 1.27% lower at 29,713 at 8:40am ET on 18 August 2026 while Dow futures held at -0.11%, a 116 basis point gap driven by selling across the AI equipment supply chain. Fabrinet FN.US fell 11.21% after guiding to a fiscal Q1 2027 margin squeeze, with COHR.US -6.58%, WDC.US -6.52% and LRCX.US -5.32% following, while their customers MSFT.US +0.38% and AAPL.US +0.56% held. July housing starts fell 12.4% to a 1,239,000 annual rate as permits rose 5.0%, and HD.US gained 2.25% on a $4.92 adjusted EPS beat.
S&P 500 Falls 0.69% as a $3 Trillion Footnote Deepens the AI Hardware Selloff
The S&P 500 fell 0.69% to 7,691.76 in a third straight decline as a Wall Street Journal analysis counted about $3 trillion of off-balance-sheet AI commitments across nine large technology firms. FN.US closed 19.38% lower and took the optical supply chain with it, while memory reversed the prior session rally in full. Healthcare, energy, staples and financials closed higher, and the 30-year Treasury yield eased 3 basis points to 5.28%.
Monday, August 17, 2026
US Pre-Market, 17 August 2026: A Storage Rally Splits the Futures Tape
Nasdaq 100 futures traded 0.34% higher at 30,242.75 at 8:39am ET on 17 August 2026 while Dow futures fell 0.32% to 53,634.00. Storage and memory names account for the whole bid, with SNDK.US +3.33%, SKHY.US +3.23% and MU.US +2.56% after SanDisk's 13 August Investor Day set a gross margin target of up to 80% by fiscal 2030. Software went the other way, SNOW.US -2.04% and SHOP.US -1.73%. The S&P 500 closed Friday at 7,785.76, down 0.17%, after July retail sales fell the most in over a year.
S&P 500 Falls 0.52% as a Hyperscaler Capex Note Splits Chips From Software
The S&P 500 closed at 7,745.06 on 17 August 2026, down 0.52%, after a Morgan Stanley note on hyperscaler AI capital spending made MSFT.US the largest drag at -3.04%. Memory suppliers took the same note the other way, with SNDK.US +8.88% and MU.US +4.13% after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick opposed Apple sourcing Chinese memory chips. Energy (XLE.US +1.08%) and semiconductors (SOXX.US +1.58%) were the only pockets of gain, with 9 of 11 sectors lower and the 30-year Treasury yield settling at 5.31%, its highest since June 2007.
Saturday, August 15, 2026
S&P 500 posts a third straight weekly gain as energy leads and the consumer cracks
The S&P 500 closed the week ending 14 August 2026 at 7,785.76, up 0.36% and its third straight weekly gain, with energy up 7.67% as WTI crude rose 5.40% to $82.40. The Russell 2000 set a record 3,068.42 while the Dow fell 0.56%. July CPI cooled to 3.4% and July retail sales fell 0.6%, the widest sector dispersion of the week at 9.05 points between energy and consumer discretionary.
Friday, August 14, 2026
Thursday, August 13, 2026
US Pre-Market: Cisco Slides 7% on Margins as July PPI Prints Flat
S&P 500 futures held +0.15% at 7,782.25 on 13 August 2026 after July producer prices came in unchanged for the month, with the 12 month rate easing to 4.7% from 5.5%. CSCO.US fell 6.97% pre-market as gross margin compression outweighed a fiscal fourth quarter beat and above consensus guidance. DELL.US rose 3.69% and HPE.US 2.81% on AI server demand, while COHR.US, LITE.US, GLW.US and ANET.US gave back part of a Wednesday advance.
S&P 500 Closes at a Record as a Workday Buyout Report Re-Rates Enterprise Software
The S&P 500 closed at a record 7,798.99 on 13 August 2026, up 0.65%, after Reuters reported Silver Lake is in talks to buy Workday. WDAY.US rose 17.78% and the enterprise software group re-rated with it, IGV up 3.10%. CSCO.US fell 8.40% on gross margin guidance despite beating on revenue and EPS, holding the Dow to 0.13%. July PPI at 4.7% year over year undercut consensus and pulled the 10-year to 4.641%.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
US Pre-Market: July CPI Lands In Line, Super Micro Jumps 9.8% Before the Open
July CPI matched consensus on all four measures at 8:30am ET on 12 August 2026: all items +0.1% monthly and +3.4% annual, core +0.2% and +2.5%. S&P 500 futures read +0.30% before and after the print, with Nasdaq futures at +0.70%. SMCI.US leads pre-market at +9.81% after a fiscal Q4 beat and a record $60 billion backlog, while AAPL.US and MSFT.US trade lower.
S&P 500 closes at 7,748.50 as AI hardware earnings offset Big Tech selling
The S&P 500 rose 0.26% to 7,748.50 as earnings beats from CoreWeave, Super Micro and Nebius lifted the AI hardware supply chain, offsetting falls of 2.26% in Microsoft and 3.38% in Meta. Nebius NBIS.US rose 34.14% and CoreWeave CRWV.US 19.28%. Technology XLK +1.49% added roughly 45 to 50 basis points while consumer discretionary, communication services and materials took back about 23. July CPI matched consensus at 3.4% headline and 2.5% core. Cisco reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $17.3 billion after the close.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
US Pre-Market: Chip Rebound Lifts Nasdaq Futures, Sea Jumps 10% Before July CPI
S&P 500 futures traded 7,787.25 at 08:41 ET on 11 August 2026, up 0.14%, with semiconductors recovering part of a Monday selloff that took SOXX.US down 2.55%. Wafer equipment names lead the rebound: ASML.US +3.44%, KLAC.US +2.51%, AMAT.US +2.47%. Sea Limited SE.US rose 10.02% on a second quarter revenue beat, while On Holding ONON.US fell 15.68% on a sales miss and Life360 LIF.US dropped 19.55%. Tokyo is closed for Mountain Day, and July CPI arrives Wednesday.
S&P 500 closes 0.32% lower at 7,728.20 as Alphabet falls 3.84% on AI spending
The S&P 500 fell 0.32% to 7,728.20 on 11 August 2026, with Alphabet down 3.84% after raising 2026 capital spending guidance to $195 billion to $205 billion. Energy gained 1.25% as WTI rose 1.34% to $83.23, and the Russell 2000 finished up 0.32%. Super Micro and CoreWeave both reported after the close.
Monday, August 10, 2026
US pre-market 10 August 2026: futures flat before Wednesday CPI as chip equipment names extend Friday's rally
S&P 500 futures trade at 7,775.25, down 0.06%, holding Friday's close of 7,757.64 ahead of Wednesday's July CPI print. The Nikkei 225 closed 2.08% higher on semiconductor buying, and US chip equipment names followed with ASML.US and AMAT.US both up 2.89%. Memory and storage fell a second session. MNDY.US is 9.59% lower on soft third quarter guidance and INTC.US 4.19% lower after launching a $15 billion share sale.
S&P 500 Closes Flat as a 5% Oil Surge Offsets an Optics Selloff
The S&P 500 finished at 7,753.11 on 10 August 2026, down 0.06%, as a 5.27% jump in WTI crude to $82.30 lifted energy 4.66% and offset a 0.88% fall in technology. SION.US dropped 91.18% after its cystic fibrosis candidate missed its primary endpoint, while VRTX.US rose 5.61% on the same result. Optical names led the downside ahead of fiscal Q4 reports from LITE.US and COHR.US.
Saturday, August 8, 2026
S&P 500 ends week +3.58% at a record after July payrolls fall 23,000
US stocks posted their strongest week since April. The S&P 500 rose 3.58% to a record 7,757.64, the Nasdaq gained 5.19% and the Dow added 2.96%, after a July payrolls decline of 23,000 trimmed the odds of a September Fed hike to 44%. Technology led all eleven sectors at +7.20% while energy fell 3.44% on a 7.67% drop in WTI crude. VOYG.US led the exchange at +70.61% and TTD.US fell 23.50% to a seven-year low.
Friday, August 7, 2026
US Pre-Market: Payrolls Fall 23,000 and Gold Runs to US$4,419
US nonfarm payrolls fell 23,000 in July against a +83,000 consensus, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised May and June down by a combined 103,000. Gold futures rose 2.78% to US$4,419.20 and silver 5.66% to US$65.09, while the dollar index fell 0.37%. Equity futures held modest gains, with Nasdaq 100 futures +0.80% and the VIX at 15.14. DOCS.US leads the pre-market at +85.36% on a revenue beat and raised outlook, against TTD.US at -29.07% on soft third-quarter guidance.
US Markets Close 7 August 2026: S&P 500 Hits a Record 7,757.64 as Payrolls Shrink 23,000
The S&P 500 closed at a record 7,757.64 on 7 August 2026, up 0.62%, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported July payrolls fell 23,000 against a +80,000 consensus. September Fed hike odds dropped to about 44% from 55% a session earlier on CME FedWatch. TEAM.US rose 35.31% for its largest daily gain on record and ABNB.US 17.43% as the best performer in the index, against TTD.US -21.90% as the worst. The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.30% to 26,690.62, helped by SPCX.US +15.83%, which sits in the Nasdaq 100 but not the S&P 500. All three benchmarks posted their best week since mid-April.
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
US Pre-Market August 5, 2026: Futures Firm After July ADP Lands at 44,000
S&P 500 futures trade at 7,805.25, up 0.51%, holding Tuesday record close of 7,736.52 after July ADP private payrolls landed at 44,000 against a 75,000 consensus. SHOP.US leads the pre-market at +20.52% on Q2 revenue of $3.58 billion. AMD.US and SPCX.US both beat and both fell, down 7.99% and 10.64%, on capital spending. The 10-year eased to 4.61% as Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari called for gradual rate increases from September.
Dow Sets a Record 54,349.12 as the Nasdaq Falls 0.83% and Gold Miners Rally 7.39%
The S&P 500 closed at 7,723.55 on 5 August 2026, down 0.17%, while the Dow set a record 54,349.12, up 0.49%. GOOGL.US fell 4.03% after Chief Scientist Jeff Dean left to found an AI startup, and AMD.US dropped 7.04% on capital spending despite a revenue and EPS beat. Gold futures settled at $4,308 an ounce, up 3.74%, and GDX.US rose 7.39%. SEDG.US fell 30.48% on weak third quarter guidance. APP.US traded down 19.34% after the bell on mixed second quarter results.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Caterpillar Jumps 11% and Storage Stocks Rally: US Pre-Market Brief, 4 August 2026
S&P 500 futures trade at 7,655.00, up 0.35% at 8:30am ET on 4 August 2026, behind Dow futures at +1.20% and Nasdaq futures at +1.14%. Caterpillar CAT.US +11.21% on its first $20 billion revenue quarter is worth about 588 of the 660 index points implied for the Dow. Memory and storage names rallied as FMS 2026 opened in Santa Clara, while Monday big tech software winners MSFT.US and AMZN.US gave back ground. June trade deficit narrowed to $73.3 billion.
S&P 500 Closes at a Record 7,736.52 as Semiconductors Drive a 1.79% Session
The S&P 500 closed at a record 7,736.52 on 4 August 2026, up 1.79%, with technology up 4.98% accounting for about 165 of the 179 basis point move. PLTR.US rose 29.45% after lifting full-year guidance, the Dow closed above 54,000 for the first time, and WTI crude fell 6.47% to $75.14. AMD.US beat on revenue, earnings and guidance after the close but traded lower after the bell.
Monday, August 3, 2026
US futures higher as Trump calls off Iran strikes and crude drops 6.6%
S&P 500 futures trade 0.48% higher on 3 August 2026 after President Trump called off strikes against Iran and set talks for Monday afternoon, sending WTI crude down 6.57% to $79.11. AZN.US fell 5.95% and BMY.US rose 4.21% on reported merger talks. MU.US and SNDK.US gapped lower after South Korea KOSPI dropped 5.12%, holding Nasdaq futures to +0.11% against +1.08% for Dow futures.
S&P 500 closes 1.48% higher at 7,600.5 as Iran talks cut crude 5.44%
The S&P 500 closed at 7,600.50 on 3 August 2026, up 1.48%, after President Trump called off strikes on Iran and restarted talks, sending WTI crude down 5.44% to $80.06 and the US 10-year yield down 5.9 basis points to 4.686%. MSFT.US, GOOGL.US, AMZN.US, META.US and ORCL.US were worth roughly 102 bps of the 148 bps index move, against AAPL.US -1.78% and XLE.US -1.28%. The Nasdaq closed 2.13% higher and the Russell 2000 gained 1.73%. Palantir PLTR.US reported 92.8% revenue growth after the bell and raised full-year guidance.
Saturday, August 1, 2026
S&P 500 adds 1.05% as Microsoft and Amazon reverse a Fed-day loss
The S&P 500 closed the week to 31 July 2026 at 7,489.72, up 1.05%, with the whole gain arriving on Thursday and Friday after cloud results from Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet reversed a 1.52% Fed-day loss. The FOMC held at 3.50% to 3.75% on a 9-3 vote with three dissents for a hike. Breadth stayed narrow: seven of eleven sectors fell, the Russell 2000 added 0.05%, and July finished with the S&P 500 down 0.13% and the Nasdaq down 3.20%.
Friday, July 31, 2026
US Pre-Market, 31 July 2026: Nasdaq Futures Lead by 64bp as Amazon Jumps and Korea Posts a Record
Nasdaq 100 futures point 0.89% higher into the 31 July 2026 open against 0.25% for S&P 500 futures, a 64 basis point gap opened by Amazon's AWS beat and a second session of semiconductor buying. AMZN.US trades 10.51% higher pre-market after AWS grew 36.7% to $42.23 billion, while AAPL.US falls 7.91% on services revenue of $30.74 billion against $31.22 billion expected. South Korea's KOSPI closed 17.91% higher for the largest single-day gain in its history.
S&P 500 Closes Up 0.70% at 7,489.72 as Amazon's 15% Gain Outweighs Apple's 7% Drop
The S&P 500 closed at 7,489.72 on 31 July 2026, up 0.70%, as Amazon rose 15.32% on AWS growth of 37% and Apple fell 7.35% on soft September quarter guidance. Six index heavyweights contributed about 95 basis points against a 70 basis point index move, leaving the other 494 names at roughly negative 25 basis points. The equal weighted S&P 500 fell 0.17% and the Russell 2000 lost 0.50%.