US Stock Market Summary for August 13, 2026

All three major indexes rose in unison. The S&P 500 closed at a record high of 7,798.99, up 0.65%, briefly crossing the 7,800 mark during the session. The Nasdaq added 0.81% to close at 26,803.03, and the Dow gained 0.13% to 53,839.99 (Reuters). Two catalysts drove the move. First, the July Producer Price Index, a measure of the prices companies charge for their goods, came in flat month-over-month. Markets had been expecting a 0.2% increase (WSJ). This followed the soft Consumer Price Index the day before, marking two straight sessions of tame inflation prints. The probability that the Fed holds rates steady at its September meeting climbed to 63%. Second, oil prices retreated. Brent crude settled at $87.07 per barrel, down 2% (CNBC). The VIX (volatility index) rose 0.21% to 14.58. The Fear & Greed Index (investor-sentiment gauge) stood at 66, signaling "Greed."

Money flowed into risk assets. Leadership, however, concentrated in memory semiconductors and communication services. As concerns about interest-rate hikes eased, rate-sensitive sectors rallied together, while metals and oil moved in the opposite direction.

> Key events for the next trading session are displayed automatically.

> "The AI-earnings-led tech rally is still going. This is a rally based on fundamentals, not bubbles."

> — Jay Hatfield, CEO of Infrastructure Capital Advisors

> "Putting the July CPI and PPI reports together, a narrow path remains open for the Fed to hold rates steady at its September meeting."

> — Bill Adams, Senior US Economist at Fifth Third Commercial Bank

> "A single Thursday PPI print won't change the Fed's calculus. The keys to taming inflation now are either a resolution to the Middle East situation or pipelines that reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz — and neither is in the Fed's reach."

> — Glen Smith, CIO of GDS Wealth Management

A total of 240 technical signals fired, split exactly down the middle at 120 bullish and 120 bearish. The index is at a record high, yet signals are dead even. Bearish signals have clustered in stocks that have already run up hard. NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Palantir have entered overbought (short-term overheated) territory. Individual stock signals are available at View Today's Signals. Today's session can be summed up as a "rally on tame inflation," so tomorrow's focus should be squarely on whether oil prices continue to ease.