Pre-market briefing August 14, 2026

Pre-Market Briefing for August 14, 2026

Today at a Glance

Briefs · earnings · signals, first Telegram · KakaoTalk channels

Previous Day Recap

New York stocks were lifted by technology shares yesterday. The S&P 500 rose 0.65% to 7,798.99, setting a new all-time closing high, while the Nasdaq gained 0.81% and the Dow added 0.13%. Communications (+2.07%) and Real Estate (+1.42%) led the way, whereas Materials fell 0.51%, and Cisco's 8.36% plunge held the Dow back.

Current Market Mood

Futures are moving only about 0.1%, a very narrow range. Yesterday's Producer Price Index came in softer than expected, firming up expectations that the Fed will hold rates steady in September, and that relief pushed indexes to record highs. However, with the U.S. signaling it could continue its blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely, oil prices climbed to roughly $87 per barrel, and that pressure is offsetting some of the upside momentum. The appetite for risk is still alive, but to take the next step higher, investors need confirmation that consumer spending is actually holding up.

Pre-Market News Roundup

Today's Events

Today is a quiet day for megacap earnings. Every company slated to report is small- or mid-cap, so the focus should be on single-stock volatility rather than index direction.

Macro Schedule

A consumer spending gauge that strips out the volatile auto and gasoline categories. The market looks for a 0.2% increase, versus a 0.2% decline the prior month. A swing from contraction back to growth would signal that the consumer is still holding up.

Shows consumer spending against a year-earlier comparison. The prior reading was a 6.72% increase. A noticeable narrowing of that pace could fuel concerns about an economic slowdown.

A survey-based gauge of how consumers actually feel. The previous print of 55.2 was on the weak side, and a further drop would weigh on consumer-related names.

The rate of inflation consumers expect over the next year. The prior 4.2% sits above the Fed's target, and a higher reading here could shake up rate-hold expectations.

Ex-Dividend

Names to Watch

Palantir (PLTR) closed yesterday up 4.66% at $179.01, pushing its RSI to 73. The RSI (Relative Strength Index) measures the magnitude of recent gains versus losses, and a reading above 70 is considered short-term overbought. Netflix (NFLX) surged 5.43% to $78.24, breaking above the upper Bollinger Band. Bollinger Bands plot a range around recent price action, and a breakout above the top band is a bullish signal, though pullbacks frequently follow. On the other side, Linde (LIN) sits at $478.20 with an RSI of 34, in oversold territory. For the first two, the better trade is to wait for a pullback rather than chase, and for Linde, the watch is whether a rebound takes shape.

Action Guide for Today

Stay calm today, and have a good one.