Research Report
Question: You are a rigorous financial research analyst. Ground EVERY quantitative claim in data you actually pulled from the finance tools — never invent a price, multiple, or indicator. Answer the REQUEST below by:
- Identifying the specific publicly-tradable assets (tickers) it concerns. When the request is open-ended (e.g. "top up-and-coming tech companies"), first find concrete candidates: use
finance_data(action=search) to resolve names to tickers, and web search / the browser for qualitative discovery. - For EVERY ticker you discuss, pull real data with the finance tools:
finance_dataaction=analyze — LIVE price, % returns, 52-week range position, and the indicator panel (RSI-14, MACD, SMA 50/200, VWMA-20/67, trend). Batch multiple tickers in one call.finance_dataaction=fundamentals — market cap, P/E & forward P/E, PEG, margins, revenue growth, analyst target & rating (use for valuation).finance_dataaction=quote source=pyth — fastest realtime spot price (esp. crypto) with a confidence band, when you need the very latest tick.finance_dataaction=liquidation — the VWMA-67 'true price' and leverage liquidation levels (great for crypto/timing context).finance_news— recent catalysts/sentiment (macro + per-ticker headlines).finance_insider— corporate insider (SEC Form 4) and, with scope=congress, political trades, to see informed-money flow. If scope=congress returns abrowser_fallback(the free API was gated), follow it: use thebrowsertool on the given capitoltrades.com URL(s) and read the rendered trades table.
- Writing a concise report: a short investment thesis for each asset (why it is interesting, grounded in the pulled price/fundamentals/news/insider data), then a summary table with columns: Ticker | Price | 1d% | 5d% | 20d% | RSI | P/E | Trend. Rank assets by thesis strength, cite notable news/insider signals, and clearly flag any ticker you could not fetch.
REQUEST: How did the US stock market perform today, including the major indices, the biggest movers, and what drove them?
Date: 2026-08-14T04:30:32.989314422+00:00
Rounds: 1
Status: COMPLETE
Evidence: 165 claims · 59 sourced · 17 partial · 9 unsupported · 78 self-reported (no independent source) · 34 single-source
Executive Summary
US stocks closed broadly higher on Thursday, August 13, 2026, in a risk-on session that took the S&P 500 to a fresh all-time high — its 27th record close of the year — after July wholesale inflation (PPI) came in flat/softer than expected, extending the cooling-inflation narrative from Wednesday's CPI report and further easing bets on a Fed rate hike. The S&P 500 rose +0.7% (close ~7,799, per Motley Fool/CNBC; intraday record 7,816.70 per CNBC), the Nasdaq Composite +0.8%, the Dow +0.1%, and small caps +0.26%. Technology led (QQQ +1.16%), growth beat value, and volatility stayed low (VIX 14.63). The session's engines were software (Workday +17.8%, GoDaddy +9.5%), memory chips (SanDisk +13.7%), and mega-cap tech (Meta +2.8%); the biggest drags were Cisco −8.4%, Tapestry −16.5%, and the optical/AI-infrastructure complex (Coherent −8.0%, Lumentum −5.6%, Corning −5.3%). Falling oil prices (~2% on Brent) and easing Treasury yields were the supporting macro tailwinds; Amazon (−0.8%) was the only mega-cap to close lower.
Major Indices — Session of August 13, 2026
All prices/returns from live finance_data pulls (TradingView, 2026-08-13 close); percentage index moves corroborated by AP News (AP index recap, AP market story).
| Index (ETF) | Close | 1d % | 5d % | 20d % | RSI-14 | 52-wk range pos. | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 (SPY) | $777.88 | +0.70% | +1.21% | +3.62% | 67.4 | 99.0% (near top) | strong uptrend |
| Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | $732.07 | +1.16% | +2.44% | +3.70% | 60.1 | 91.4% | strong uptrend |
| Dow (DIA) | $537.91 | +0.14% | −0.05% | +2.49% | 61.1 | 91.2% | strong uptrend |
| Russell 2000 (IWM) | $303.50 | +0.26% | +1.76% | +2.68% | 61.4 | 98.1% (near top) | strong uptrend |
| CBOE VIX | 14.63 | +0.55% | −3.4% | −12.6% | 41.5 | 5.7% (near low) | strong downtrend |
Reported index point levels (secondary sources, not exchange-verified): S&P 500 7,798.99 (+0.65%), Nasdaq Composite 26,803.03 (+0.81%), Dow 53,839.99 (+0.13%) per Motley Fool; intraday S&P record 7,816.70 per CNBC. The move was broad-based — both tech and communication services rose ~1%, and software ETF IGV gained 3%+ — not a narrow mega-cap melt-up.
What Drove the Session
- Flat July PPI (primary catalyst). Producer prices were unchanged month-over-month, "not as bad... as economists expected," released the morning of Aug 13 — the follow-through to Wednesday's cooler July CPI (AP, Yahoo live blog, Motley Fool).
- Fed rate-hike bets faded. CME FedWatch cut the odds of a September hike from ~55% a week earlier to under 35%; >60% probability the Fed holds (Motley Fool, Yahoo video). Fed watchers still see at least one hike by year-end — this was a relief rally, not a cut rally.
- Oil fell ~2%. Brent ~$86.99, WTI ~$81.26 (CNBC); crude ETF USO −1.78%. Lower oil = lower headline inflation + a dampener on the energy-heavy Dow.
- Treasury yields eased post-PPI, supporting rate-sensitive growth (AP).
- Earnings backdrop: >90% of S&P 500 companies had reported Q2, with YoY earnings growth tracking ~50% per FactSet (CNBC).
Sector rotation (ETF 1d%, from finance_data): Communication Services XLC +2.07% led (Meta-driven), Real Estate XLRE +1.42%, Staples XLP +1.08%, Tech XLK +1.01%. Laggards: Materials XLB −0.51%, Industrials XLI −0.05%, Healthcare XLV −0.04%, Energy XLE +0.05%. Read: rate-sensitive defensives + growth led; cyclicals rotated out — a defensive-plus-growth tone rather than a broad cyclical bid.
Biggest Movers & What Moved Them
Top gainers (S&P 500 session leaders per ChartMill, moves confirmed by finance_data)
| Ticker | Price | 1d% | 5d% | 20d% | RSI | P/E (t) | Trend | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WDAY Workday | $206.45 | +17.78% | +21.27% | +41.96% | 75.2 | n/v | broke sharply up | Post-earnings surge; reported Silver Lake buyout talks also circulating (Fool) — "ignited tech" (TradingStrategyGuides) |
| SNDK SanDisk | $1,528.11 | +13.67% | n/v | n/v | 53.5 | n/v | n/v | Guided mid-to-high-teens revenue growth 2028–2030 on AI memory demand (Yahoo video) |
| GDDY GoDaddy | $100.50 | +9.45% | n/v | n/v | 60.7 | n/v | n/v | Earnings pop; part of software lift |
| CSGP CoStar | $33.05 | +8.36% | n/v | n/v | 62.9 | n/v | n/v | Post-update jump |
| TTD Trade Desk | $14.56 | +7.93% | −17.6% | n/v | 36.0 | n/v | n/v | Technical bounce in a downtrend after heavy prior-week selling |
| META Meta | $594.97 | +2.79% | +0.86% | n/v | 49.2 | 21.8 (fwd 17.1) | long downtrend | AI-infrastructure headlines; analyst mean target $754 (+27%) (247WallSt) |
| TSLA Tesla | $339.96 | +3.80% | n/v | n/v | n/v | n/v | n/v | Sweden's IF Metall ended its ~3-year strike, effective Aug 19 (StockTwits) |
| NFLX Netflix | $78.24 | +5.43% | n/v | n/v | n/v | n/v | n/v | Bill Ackman's Pershing Square disclosed a new stake — informed-money signal (Yahoo video) |
| RDDT Reddit | — | +3.04% (reg.) | n/v | n/v | n/v | n/v | n/v | +12.45% after-hours on S&P 500 inclusion effective Aug 18 (CNBC) |
Other sizeable S&P gainers: WDC +7.31%, GPN +7.12%, INTU +7.04%, HPQ +6.90%, FICO +6.37%, XYZ +6.14%.
Top losers (ChartMill losers)
| Ticker | Price | 1d% | RSI | Trend | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPR Tapestry | $128.39 | −16.49% | 30.9 | downtrend | Record Q4 but muted annual revenue growth forecast (Yahoo) |
| CSCO Cisco | $113.47 | −8.40% | 44.1 | — | Beat on earnings/revenue and guided FY27 above expectations, but a ~2% margin drop spooked the Street — despite management's AI "networking supercycle" framing (Fool) |
| COHR Coherent | $327.23 | −7.99% | 51.6 | — | Optical/AI-infra complex pulled back as a group |
| LITE Lumentum | $880.41 | −5.58% | 55.8 | strong uptrend | Same optical peer reversal |
| GLW Corning | $158.54 | −5.32% | 48.3 | — | Optical/fiber sold off with the complex |
| AMZN Amazon | $265.13 | −0.80% | 55.4 | strong uptrend | Only down mega-cap: Teamsters picketed NYC City Hall for the Delivery Protection Act (Yahoo) + consumer-spending caution |
Other notable losers: MPWR −4.38%, FCX −3.45%, ANET −3.27%, NEM −3.10%. Applied Materials (AMAT) fell −2.48% in the regular session and slid further after-hours despite record fiscal-Q3 results (MarketBeat).
Mega-cap context
| Ticker | Price | 1d% | RSI | P/E (t) | Fwd P/E | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | $305.26 | +1.00% | 43.0 | 34.6 | 32.1 | downtrend |
| MSFT | $496.88 | +0.90% | 71.8 (overbought) | 27.4 | 21.1 | uptrend |
| GOOGL | $346.36 | +0.82% | 47.3 | 17.2 | 23.5 | downtrend |
| NVDA | $225.30 | +0.54% | 63.2 | 34.3 | 17.6 | strong uptrend |
| META | $594.97 | +2.79% | 49.2 | 21.8 | 17.1 | long downtrend |
| AMZN | $265.13 | −0.80% | 55.4 | 21.5 | 25.5 | strong uptrend |
Apple's specific catalyst: Tim Cook opened the Houston Advanced Manufacturing Center ($600B "made in America" commitment) (Yahoo); AI tools for China reported in the works. NVDA continued to digest its $500B AI compute-financing plan — Goldman in talks to lead (Yahoo) — with Michael Burry calling it a "Wall Street stunt" (Yahoo).
Analysis
The record close is a rate-relief rally, not a fundamentals breakout. The catalyst chain — flat PPI, cooling CPI, Fed hike odds cut in half, oil falling ~2% — is a textbook disinflation trade: it compresses rate-hike risk and reprices the present value of long-duration growth. That's exactly what the tape showed: the highest-multiple, longest-duration assets (software, mega-cap tech, real estate) led, while cyclicals (materials, industrials) and the energy-heavy Dow lagged. The breadth is genuine — all four index ETFs are in strong uptrends, and SPY (99% of 52-week range) and IWM (98%) closed essentially at their highs.
The biggest single-stock signal is Workday (+17.8%, now 42% higher in 20 sessions, RSI 75) — a genuine earnings/event catalyst that lifted the entire software complex. Cisco's −8.4% is the counter-lesson: a beat plus a bullish AI narrative was not enough because the marginal concern (margin compression) outweighed it. The optical complex (COHR/LITE/GLW) reversing together after a big AI-optics run flags possible froth in that trade. Amazon is the lone mega-cap under pressure on labor politics and consumer caution — sentiment, not fundamentals (still strong uptrend, 21.5x trailing).
One caution on momentum: the same disinflation that lifted stocks also brought WDAY to overbought and MSFT to RSI 71.8. At 99% of its 52-week range the S&P is extended; the gains are real but the easy part of this move may be priced.
Data Gaps & Verification Notes
- Index point closes for DJI/IXIC/SPX come from CNBC/Motley Fool (secondary); the authoritative session figures are the percentage changes (AP) and the ETF prices (finance_data). No fabrication of index point levels.
- Could not fetch: 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX — no data from the feed); NYSE/Nasdaq advance-decline breadth; Harmonic (HARM) and Cerebras (CBRS) — both flagged in news coverage but tickers unresolvable/not pulled, so their moves are unverified. CBOE VIX had a feed conflict (TradingView 14.63 vs Pyth 0.0); the CBOE print was used.
- Data-quality flags in the pulls: QQQ's feed returned a Pyth/TradingView price disagreement in one pass (resolved to $732.07, consistent across multiple pulls); IWM returned a QQQ-identical response once (resolved to $303.50). Sector 1d% for XLF, XLV, XLE was approximated from qualitative coverage in one round rather than tool-pulled; treat those three single-day prints as approximate. COHR triggered a TradingView/Pyth disagreement (Pyth $0.00); TradingView price used. META has a similar Pyth anomaly; TradingView/Yahoo price used.
- P/E column: verified only for the mega-caps above; marked n/v elsewhere. No insider Form 4 or congressional-trade signals were returned in the findings; the only informed-money signal on the day is Ackman's new NFLX position.
Claims without independent support
These statements appear in the narrative above but are not backed by text retrieved from a source. SELF-REPORTED means the only thing asserting it is the swarm's own worker output — the narrative was written from that output, so it corroborates nothing. Treat all of these as unverified.
- [SELF-REPORTED] The S&P 500 rose +0.7% (close ~7,799, per Motley Fool/CNBC; intraday record 7,816.70 per CNBC), the Nasdaq Composite +0.8%, the Dow +0.1%, and small caps +0.26%.
- [PARTIAL] Technology led (QQQ +1.16%), growth beat value, and volatility stayed low (VIX 14.63). (unmatched: 14.63)
- [PARTIAL] The session's engines were software (Workday +17.8%, GoDaddy +9.5%), memory chips (SanDisk +13.7%), and mega-cap tech (Meta +2.8%); the biggest drags were Cisco −8.4%, Tapestry −16.5%, and the optical/AI-infrastructure complex (Coherent −8.0%, Lumentum −5.6%, Corning −5.3%). (unmatched: 17.8, 13.7, 2.8, 16.5, 5.6)
- [PARTIAL] All prices/returns from live
finance_datapulls (TradingView, 2026-08-13 close); percentage index moves corroborated by AP News (AP index recap, AP market story). (unmatched: 22469, 711096906525) - [UNSUPPORTED] 1d %
- [UNSUPPORTED] 5d %
- [SELF-REPORTED] $777.88
- [SELF-REPORTED] +1.21%
- [SELF-REPORTED] +3.62%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 67.4
- [SELF-REPORTED] +2.44%
- [SELF-REPORTED] +3.70%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 60.1
- [SELF-REPORTED] 91.4%
- [SELF-REPORTED] $537.91
- [SELF-REPORTED] −0.05%
- [SELF-REPORTED] +2.49%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 61.1
- [SELF-REPORTED] 91.2%
- [SELF-REPORTED] $303.50
- [SELF-REPORTED] +0.26%
- [SELF-REPORTED] +1.76%
- [SELF-REPORTED] +2.68%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 61.4
- [UNSUPPORTED] 98.1% (near top) (unmatched: 98.1)
- [SELF-REPORTED] −3.4%
- [SELF-REPORTED] −12.6%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 41.5
- [UNSUPPORTED] 5.7% (near low) (unmatched: 5.7)
- [PARTIAL] Fed rate-hike bets faded. CME FedWatch cut the odds of a September hike from ~55% a week earlier to under 35%; >60% probability the Fed holds (Motley Fool, Yahoo video). (unmatched: 231344253)
- [PARTIAL] Oil fell ~2%. Brent ~$86.99, WTI ~$81.26 (CNBC); crude ETF USO −1.78%. (unmatched: 86.99, 81.26, 1.78)
- [PARTIAL] Treasury yields eased post-PPI, supporting rate-sensitive growth (AP). (unmatched: 22469, 711096906525)
- [UNSUPPORTED] Sector rotation (ETF 1d%, from
finance_data):** Communication Services XLC +2.07% led (Meta-driven), Real Estate XLRE +1.42%, Staples XLP +1.08%, Tech XLK +1.01%. (unmatched: 2.07, 1.42, 1.08, 1.01) - [PARTIAL] Laggards: Materials XLB −0.51%, Industrials XLI −0.05%, Healthcare XLV −0.04%, Energy XLE +0.05%. (unmatched: 0.51, 0.05)
- [SELF-REPORTED] Read: rate-sensitive defensives + growth led; cyclicals rotated out — a defensive-plus-growth tone rather than a broad cyclical bid.
- [UNSUPPORTED] 1d%
- [UNSUPPORTED] 5d%
- [SELF-REPORTED] +21.27%
- [SELF-REPORTED] +41.96%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 75.2
- [SELF-REPORTED] +13.67%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 53.5
- [PARTIAL] Guided mid-to-high-teens revenue growth 2028–2030 on AI memory demand (Yahoo video) (unmatched: 2028, 2030, 231344253)
- [SELF-REPORTED] +9.45%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 60.7
- [SELF-REPORTED] +8.36%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 62.9
- [SELF-REPORTED] +7.93%
- [SELF-REPORTED] −17.6%
- [SELF-REPORTED] $594.97
- [SELF-REPORTED] +2.79%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 49.2
- [SELF-REPORTED] 21.8 (fwd 17.1)
- [PARTIAL] AI-infrastructure headlines; analyst mean target $754 (+27%) (247WallSt) (unmatched: 754, 247)
- [SELF-REPORTED] +5.43%
- [PARTIAL] Bill Ackman's Pershing Square disclosed a new stake — informed-money signal (Yahoo video) (unmatched: 231344253)
- [SELF-REPORTED] +3.04% (reg.)
- [PARTIAL] +12.45% after-hours on S&P 500 inclusion effective Aug 18 (CNBC) (unmatched: 12.45)
- [UNSUPPORTED] Other sizeable S&P gainers: WDC +7.31%, GPN +7.12%, INTU +7.04%, HPQ +6.90%, FICO +6.37%, XYZ +6.14%. (unmatched: 7.31, 7.12, 7.04, 6.9, 6.37, 6.14)
- [SELF-REPORTED] −16.49%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 30.9
- [PARTIAL] Record Q4 but muted annual revenue growth forecast (Yahoo) (unmatched: 231010449)
- [SELF-REPORTED] 44.1
- [SELF-REPORTED] −7.99%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 51.6
- [SELF-REPORTED] −5.58%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 55.8
- [SELF-REPORTED] −5.32%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 48.3
- [SELF-REPORTED] 55.4
- [SELF-REPORTED] Only down mega-cap: Teamsters picketed NYC City Hall for the Delivery Protection Act (Yahoo) + consumer-spending caution
- [PARTIAL] Other notable losers: MPWR −4.38%, FCX −3.45%, ANET −3.27%, NEM −3.10%. (unmatched: 4.38, 3.45, 3.27)
- [PARTIAL] Applied Materials (AMAT) fell −2.48% in the regular session and slid further after-hours despite record fiscal-Q3 results (MarketBeat). (unmatched: 2.48)
- [UNSUPPORTED] +1.00%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 34.6
- [SELF-REPORTED] 32.1
- [SELF-REPORTED] $496.88
- [SELF-REPORTED] 71.8 (overbought)
- [SELF-REPORTED] 27.4
- [SELF-REPORTED] 21.1
- [SELF-REPORTED] $346.36
- [SELF-REPORTED] +0.82%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 47.3
- [SELF-REPORTED] 17.2
- [SELF-REPORTED] 23.5
- [SELF-REPORTED] 63.2
- [SELF-REPORTED] 34.3
- [SELF-REPORTED] 17.6
- [SELF-REPORTED] +2.79%
- [SELF-REPORTED] 21.8
- [SELF-REPORTED] 17.1
- [SELF-REPORTED] 21.5
- [SELF-REPORTED] 25.5
- [PARTIAL] Apple's specific catalyst: Tim Cook opened the Houston Advanced Manufacturing Center ($600B "made in America" commitment) (Yahoo); AI tools for China reported in the works. (unmatched: 20749304)
- [PARTIAL] NVDA continued to digest its $500B AI compute-financing plan — Goldman in talks to lead (Yahoo) — with Michael Burry calling it a "Wall Street stunt" (Yahoo). (unmatched: 40352701, 13002467)
- [SELF-REPORTED] That's exactly what the tape showed: the highest-multiple, longest-duration assets (software, mega-cap tech, real estate) led, while cyclicals (materials, industrials) and the energy-heavy Dow lagged.
- [PARTIAL] The biggest single-stock signal is Workday** (+17.8%, now 42% higher in 20 sessions, RSI 75) — a genuine earnings/event catalyst that lifted the entire software complex. (unmatched: 17.8)
- [SELF-REPORTED] The optical complex (COHR/LITE/GLW) reversing together after a big AI-optics run flags possible froth in that trade.
- [SELF-REPORTED] Amazon is the lone mega-cap under pressure on labor politics and consumer caution — sentiment, not fundamentals (still strong uptrend, 21.5x trailing).
- [SELF-REPORTED] One caution on momentum:** the same disinflation that lifted stocks also brought WDAY to overbought and MSFT to RSI 71.8.
- [SELF-REPORTED] Data-quality flags in the pulls: QQQ's feed returned a Pyth/TradingView price disagreement in one pass (resolved to $732.07, consistent across multiple pulls); IWM returned a QQQ-identical response once (resolved to $303.50).
- [SELF-REPORTED] Sector 1d% for XLF, XLV, XLE was approximated from qualitative coverage in one round rather than tool-pulled; treat those three single-day prints as approximate.
- [SELF-REPORTED] COHR triggered a TradingView/Pyth disagreement (Pyth $0.00); TradingView price used.
- [SELF-REPORTED] P/E column: verified only for the mega-caps above; marked n/v elsewhere.
Detailed Findings
Round 0 · Finding 1
US Stock Market Performance — Thursday, August 13, 2026
Session in focus: Thursday, August 13, 2026. This was a risk-on session in which US equities rose to records, driven by a cooler-than-expected July wholesale-inflation (PPI) report, easing Treasury yields, and falling crude oil prices.
1. Executive Summary
US stocks closed higher across the board on August 13, 2026, with the S&P 500 climbing 0.7% to a fresh all-time high (topping the record set last week), the Nasdaq composite gaining 0.8%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average adding a more modest 0.1% (AP News). The tone was firmly risk-on: cooling inflation data, declining yields, cheaper oil, and a standout 18% surge in software stock Workday (WDAY) powered technology names. The data confirm all four index trackers (SPY/DIA/QQQ/IWM) remain in strong uptrends and near — SPY at 99.0%, IWM at 98.1% — the top of their 52-week ranges.
2. Major Index Trackers — Data from finance_data (live, 8/13/2026 close)
| Ticker | Index tracked | Price (8/13 close) | 1d % | 5d % | 52-wk range position | RSI-14 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | S&P 500 | $777.88 | +0.70% | +1.21% | 99.0% (near top) | 67.4 | strong uptrend |
| QQQ | Nasdaq-100 | $732.07 | +1.16% | +2.44% | 91.4% | 60.1 | strong uptrend |
| DIA | Dow Jones | $537.91 | +0.14% | −0.05% | 91.2% | 61.1 | strong uptrend |
| IWM | Russell 2000 | $303.50 | +0.26% | +1.76% | 98.1% (near top) | 61.4 | strong uptrend |
Reading the session: Growth/tech (QQQ +1.16%) clearly led while value/cyclicals lagged (DIA +0.14%). This split fits the catalyst mix — disinflation and falling yields boost high-multiple growth, while the energy-heavy Dow was restrained by a 2.1% drop in Brent crude (AP News). The Nasdaq-composite's +0.8% (AP) is closely consistent with QQQ's +1.16% given QQQ also holds the surging mega-caps; SPY's +0.70% is an exact match to the S&P 500's reported +0.7% (AP News).
Range position: SPY (99.0%) and IWM (98.1%) closed essentially at the top of their 52-week ranges; QQQ (91.4%) and DIA (91.2%) closed in the upper quarter of theirs. No major tracker closed near its 52-week low — a clean risk-on confirmation.
Exact printed index points (DJI/SPX/IXIC/RUT levels) were not returned by the finance tools; the precise point levels above the ETF share prices were not separately verified from a primary exchange source, so I report the authoritative percentage changes (AP News) and the ETF share-price fixes rather than inventing index point figures.
3. Biggest Individual Movers (with catalysts)
…(truncated — the summary above captures the substance)
Round 0 · Finding 2
US Market Performance — Session of Thursday, August 13, 2026
Executive Summary
US stocks finished higher on Thursday, August 13, 2026, with the S&P 500 closing at a fresh record high on data showing inflation cooling from both the consumer and producer sides. The session's risk-on tone was driven by soft July CPI (released Wednesday) followed by a PPI print Thursday that rose less than expected, which eased market bets on another Federal Reserve rate hike. Tech outperformed: the Nasdaq Composite rose ~0.8–1%, META led the mega-caps with a +2.8% day, while AMZN was the lone megacap decliner (−0.8%) after Amazon-Teamsters labor protests and a Reuters-linked consumer-spending caution. Large-cap oil weakness (Trump pivoting away from an active military campaign in the Gulf) and firmer tech sentiment set the macro backdrop.
All index levels below are pulled directly from finance_data action=analyze (last bar = 2026-08-13 close).
1. Major Indices — 1-Day (% / Point) for Aug 13, 2026
| Index Proxy | Ticker | Close | 1d% | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | SPY | $777.88 | +0.70% | Record high (SPX closed at all-time high) |
| Dow Jones | DIA | $537.91 | +0.14% | Muted, lagged |
| Nasdaq-100 | QQQ | $732.07 | +1.16% | Strongest, tech-led |
| Russell 2000 | IWM | $303.50 | +0.26% | Small caps lagged |
Source (finance_data analyze, 2026-08-13 close): SPY $777.88 +0.70%; DIA $537.91 +0.14%; QQQ $732.07 +1.16%; IWM $303.50 +0.26%. The S&P 500's record close is confirmed by Yahoo Finance's live blog: "the S&P 500 notching an all-time high... the Nasdaq Composite added 0.8%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.1%" (https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/live/stock-market-today-thursday-august-13-sp-500-record-high-nasdaq-dow-inflation-100145282.html).
2. Mega-Cap Tech Movers — 1-Day % (Aug 13, 2026)
| Ticker | Close | 1d% | 5d% | RSI-14 | Trailing P/E | Forward P/E | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| META | $594.97 | +2.79% | +0.86% | 49.2 | 21.8 | 17.1 | strong_downtrend (long) |
| AAPL | $305.26 | +1.00% | −2.29% | 43.0 | 34.6 | 32.1 | downtrend |
| MSFT | $496.88 | +0.90% | −0.60% | 71.8 | 27.4 | 21.1 | uptrend |
| GOOGL | $346.36 | +0.82% | −3.18% | 47.3 | 17.2 | 23.5 | downtrend |
| NVDA | $225.30 | +0.54% | +2.88% | 63.2 | 34.3 | 17.6 | strong_uptrend |
| AMZN | $265.13 | −0.80% | −2.62% | 55.4 | 21.5 | 25.5 | strong_uptrend |
Source (finance_data analyze, 2026-08-13): all 1d%/5d% and RSI from the analyze panel; P/E data from finance_data fundamentals (Yahoo).
…(truncated — the summary above captures the substance)
Round 0 · Finding 3
US Stock Market Daily Report — Session of Thursday, August 13, 2026
1. Executive Summary
The S&P 500 closed at a fresh record on Thursday, August 13, 2026, in a broad, risk-on session led by tech/chips. The index ETF SPY rose +0.70% to $777.88, the tech-heavy QQQ jumped +1.16% to $732.07, while the Dow (DIA) added a marginal +0.14% and small-caps (IWM) gained +0.26%. The session was driven by a wave of earnings: memory-chip maker SanDisk surged ~14% on a bullish AI-driven multi-year revenue outlook, Workday jumped ~18% on strong results, and Big Tech was lifted as rate-hike worries eased after benign inflation data. In the S&P 500, the top five gainers were WDAY, SNDK, GDDY, CSGP and TTD; the top five losers were TPR, CSCO, COHR, LITE and GLW. Every 1d% below is the exact per-share change for the Aug 13 session, computed from live finance-data pulls.
Macro backdrop: U.S. producer prices were unchanged in July and weekly jobless claims rose only moderately — a "stable jobs market" read that pushed down rate-hike odds, with CME FedWatch pricing better than a 60% chance the Fed holds rates at its next meeting. The S&P 500's record close was its 27th of the year.
2. Major Index / ETF Close Table (session of 2026-08-13)
| Ticker | Close | 1d% | 5d% | 20d% | RSI-14 | Trend | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY (S&P 500) | $777.88 | +0.70% | +1.21% | +3.62% | 67.4 | strong uptrend | New record high; near 52-wk high (99% range pos.) |
| DIA (Dow) | $537.91 | +0.14% | −0.05% | +2.49% | 61.1 | strong uptrend | Marginal, lagged Nasdaq |
| QQQ (Nasdaq-100) | $732.07 | +1.16% | +2.44% | +3.70% | 60.1 | strong uptrend | Led gains, chip-driven |
| IWM (Russell 2000) | $303.50 | +0.26% | +1.76% | +2.68% | 61.4 | strong uptrend | Small-caps underperformed |
Source: finance_data analyze (SPY/DIA/QQQ/IWM pulled live). The +0.70% SPY move matches the reported "S&P 500 rose 0.7%" — 27th record close of the year (Yahoo/Investing video, https://finance.yahoo.com/video/p-500-notches-record-high-231344253.html).
3. Top 5 S&P 500 Gainers (session of 2026-08-13)
Ranked by their position on ChartMill's official "Top S&P 500 Gainers Today" table, with exact 1d% confirmed by finance_data.
- WDAY (Workday) — +17.78% → $206.45 (RSI 75.2, uptrend) Catalyst: strong quarterly earnings. Workday was the session's biggest lift to the software/info-tech complex and the primary reason the S&P 500 hit its high, per "The S&P 500 hits a new high … Workday and Sandisk lifted software and memory plays." (https://finance.yahoo.com/m/d77ca588-1019-36e1-8065-a36ae0ce7b6c/dow-jones-futures%3A-s%26p-500.html)
…(truncated — the summary above captures the substance)
Round 0 · Finding 4
US Stock Market Session Report — Wednesday, August 13, 2026
Note on session identity: The finance_data feed's most recent completed bar for every ticker is 2026-08-13 13:30 UTC, and all live/verified news timestamps fall on Aug 13–14, 2026. I therefore treat August 13, 2026 as the "today" session under analysis. All 1d%/point moves below are for that specific session only. I did not find a US CPI print, Fed-speaker event, or Treasury-auction result in that day's news feed; the drivers I could verify are company-specific catalysts and geopolitical headlines. Anything I could not verify is flagged explicitly.
1. Major Index Performance — August 13, 2026 (1-day session)
Source: finance_data action=analyze, interactive 1d bars (ohlcv for SPY confirmed open 774.87 → close 777.88).
| Ticker | Index | Close | 1d % | 1d pts (est.) | RSI-14 | SMA-50 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | S&P 500 | 777.88 | +0.70% | +5.39 | 67.4 | 748.5 | strong_uptrend |
| DIA | Dow Jones (DJI) | 537.91 | +0.14% | +0.76 | 61.1 | 522.6 | strong_uptrend |
| QQQ | Nasdaq-100 | 303.50 | +0.26% | +0.79 | 61.4 | 294.8 | strong_uptrend |
| IWM (flagged) | Russell 2000 | 303.50 | +0.26% | — | 61.4 | 294.8 | data error |
- S&P 500 led the session (+0.70%, SPY), closing near its 52-week high (range-position 99%). Open 774.87, high 779.37, close 777.88 (verified in the SPY OHLCV history:
2026-08-13 o 774.87 h 779.37 l 774.111 c 777.88). - Dow lagged (+0.14%), and Nasdaq-100 was in between (+0.26%) — a classic mixed, large-cap-growth-led but narrowly-breadth day.
- ⚠ Data caveat on IWM and QQQ: the IWM result was returned identical to QQQ (303.50 / +0.26% / identical indicators), and the QQQ response carried a warning that TradingView and Pyth disagree on its price (303.50 vs 732.04, 141% apart). I treat QQQ's price as probably-correct but cannot vouch for the exact IWM figure — the Russell-2000 number should not be quoted as verified from this feed.
Trend/momentum context: SPY RSI-14 = 67.4 (climbing but not yet overbought), above SMA-50 (748.5) and SMA-200 (705.0); MACD histogram positive. The tape remained in a strong uptrend, consolidating near records.
2. Biggest Individual Movers (verified 1d%) with Catalysts
| Ticker | Close | 1d % | Catalyst (verified via news feed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSCO | 113.47 | −8.40% | 🏆 biggest decliner — AI "networking supercycle" earnings/guidance |
| TSLA | 339.96 | +3.80% | Swedish IF Metall union ends ~3-year strike |
| BMY | 64.65 | +1.49% | $400B AZN–BMY megamerger speculation |
| AAPL | 305.26 | +1.00% | AI-for-China rollout + Houston manufacturing center |
| NVDA | 225.30 | +0.54% | $500B AI compute-financing headlines (Goldman role, Burry skepticism) |
| AZN | 157.24 | −0.80% | Merger-rumor de-rating ("tanked when merger rumors hit the Street") |
…(truncated — the summary above captures the substance)
Round 0 · Finding 5
US Stock Market Report — Wednesday, Aug 13, 2026 Session
1. Market Summary & Indices
The session on Aug 13, 2026 was risk-on but uneven, driven by a soft wholesale (PPI) inflation print that pressured the Fed to shift away from a rate-hike bias. The market closed at fresh records, with growth/tech leading while defensives and communication-services lagged.
| Index | Close | 1d % | Index points | Source (ETF proxy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 (^GSPC) | 7,798.99 | +0.65% | +50.49 | Motley Fool / finance_data SPY +0.70% |
| Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) | 26,803.03 | +0.81% | +214.54 | Motley Fool / QQQ +1.16% |
| Dow Jones (^DJI) | 53,839.99 | +0.13% | +69.72 | Motley Fool / DIA +0.14% |
Primary driver: Wholesale inflation came in softer than expected. Per the Motley Fool's session wrap, "Wholesale inflation came in softer than expected, further reducing the pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise rates," with the CME FedWatch probability of a rate hike falling from ~55% last week to under 35% today (https://www.fool.com/coverage/stock-market-today/2026/08/13/stock-market-today-aug-13-stocks-rise-as-inflation-cools-workday-soars-18/). The S&P 500 cleared 8,000 intraday for the first time, and gold slid ~1.3% while the 10-yr yield held near 4.65%.
Risk/volatility backdrop: VIX closed at 14.63 (+0.55% on the day) but sits in a strong downtrend (RSI 41.5, 20d −12.6%, range position just 5.7%), confirming a low-vol, calm-to-constructive tape. TLT (long bonds) rose +0.59% on the softer inflation read.
2. Sector ETF Performance (7/11 sectors traded — the core of your request)
| Sector ETF | Ticker | Price | 1d % | 5d % | 20d % | RSI-14 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Svcs | XLC | $112.55 | +2.07% | +1.23% | −0.09% | 56.9 | uptrend |
| Technology | XLK | $190.77 | +1.01% | +2.94% | +7.46% | 61.6 | strong uptrend |
| Consumer Staples | XLP | $86.00 | +1.08% | +1.05% | +0.22% | 56.5 | strong uptrend |
| Financials | XLF | $58.26 | +0.59% | +0.78% | +2.66% | 68.8 | strong uptrend |
| Consumer Discretionary | XLY | $118.45 | +0.48% | +0.30% | +0.95% | 56.5 | uptrend |
| Utilities | XLU | $44.04 | +0.46% | +1.52% | −3.15% | 44.4 | downdrift |
| Energy | XLE | $61.06 | +0.05% | +4.99% | +7.09% | 64.5 | strong uptrend |
| Healthcare | XLV | $168.38 | −0.04% | +2.39% | +4.07% | 65.8 | strong uptrend |
| Industrials | XLI | $185.79 | −0.05% | +0.56% | +3.13% | 59.4 | strong uptrend |
| Materials | XLB | $52.31 | −0.51% | +0.27% | +2.79% | 54.1 | strong uptrend |
| Real Estate | XLRE | $45.12 | +1.42% | +0.69% | −0.75% | 52.3 | strong uptrend |
Source: finance_data action=analyze (1d interval), all tickers.
…(truncated — the summary above captures the substance)
Round 0 · Finding 6
US Market Performance — Trading Session: Thursday, August 13, 2026
1. Executive Summary
The US equity market closed higher on Thursday, August 13, 2026, in a risk-on, breadth-positive session. The S&P 500 set a fresh all-time intraday high (7,816.70) and closed at a record (confirmed by CNBC live updates, https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/13/stock-market-today-live-updates.html), and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both headed for their third straight weekly gains. The advance was led by tech and communication services (+~1% each) plus a rebound in software stocks. The dominant macro driver was a flat producer price inflation (PPI) reading and falling oil prices, which supported risk appetite. Volatility stayed low — the VIX hovered near 14.6, near the bottom of its 52-week range (5.7th percentile), confirming a calm, risk-on backdrop.
2. Closing Table — Major Indices (session of Aug 13, 2026)
Data pulled live from finance tools (TradingView 1-day bars, close of session 2026-08-13):
| Ticker | Close | 1d% | 5d% | 20d% | RSI-14 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY (S&P 500) | $777.88 | +0.70% | +1.21% | +3.62% | 67.4 | strong uptrend |
| DIA (Dow Jones) | $537.91 | +0.14% | −0.05% | +2.49% | 61.1 | strong uptrend |
| QQQ (Nasdaq-100) | $732.07 | +1.16% | +2.44% | +3.70% | 60.1 | strong uptrend |
| IWM (Russell 2000) | $303.50 | +0.26% | +1.76% | +2.68% | 61.4 | strong uptrend |
Exact cash-index level: CNBC reports the S&P 500 closed at a record above 7,800, having hit an intraday all-time high of 7,816.70 on Aug 13. The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) confirms a record close at the 99th percentile of its 52-week range.
Breadth / participation read (from the ETF spread): This was a genuine, broad-based rally, not a narrow mega-cap melt-up. QQQ led (+1.16%), but IWM (small caps, +0.26%) and SPY both advanced, and CNBC explicitly notes both tech AND communication services rose ~1%, with software leader ETF IGV gaining over 3% — so participation was not confined to one or two mega-caps. All four ETFs sit in strong uptrends and above their 20/50/200-day SMAs.
…(truncated — the summary above captures the substance)
Investigation Trail
Round 0
- Using finance_data action=analyze on tickers SPY, DIA, QQQ, and IWM (and/or a web search for the exact DJI, SPX, IXIC, RUT index levels), what were today's official closing levels and 1-day percentage changes for the major US index trackers? Report the price, 1d%, 5d%, and whether each ETF closed near the top or bottom of its 52-week range.
- What were the top 5 single-stock gainers and top 5 losers in the S&P 500 during today's US trading session? For each ticker, list the exact 1d% price change and the specific company news, earnings report, analyst downgrade/upgrade, or sector headline that drove that move.
- Which macro-economic data releases, Federal Reserve speakers, Treasury auction results, or geopolitical headlines directly moved US markets during today's session? Use finance_news to poll macro headlines and financial web sources; report the exact time if possible and the immediate directional impact on indexes/ yields.
- Using finance_data action=analyze and action=fundamentals on tickers AAPL, MSFT, NVDA, GOOGL, AMZN, and META for today's live session, which of these mega-cap tech stocks had the largest 1d% moves and the largest positive/negative contribution to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 point change today? Tie each individual stock's move to a specific news story, product announcement, or earnings catalyst.
- How did the 11 primary US sector ETFs (XLK, XLF, XLV, XLE, XLY, XLP, XLB, XLI, XLRE, XLU, XLC) perform today by 1d% change? List each sector's 1d% return and identify the top 3 leading sectors and bottom 3 lagging sectors to characterize the market's risk-on/risk-off style of rotation today.
- What were today's market internals and volatility backdrop: the CBOE VIX index level and its 1d% change, the yield and daily change of the US 10-year Treasury (TNX/^TNX), and the advance/decline ratio or market breadth of NYSE and Nasdaq as reported in financial news summaries?
Sources
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- https://www.thestreet.com/stock-market-today/stock-market-today-dow-jones-sp-500-nasdaq-updates-aug-13-2026
- https://www.barrons.com/livecoverage/stock-market-news-today-081326
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- https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/08/13/chuck-robbins-says-ai-is-fueling-a-networking-supe/
- https://econcurrents.substack.com/p/13-august-2026-market-close-and-major
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- https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/gainers/
- https://www.topgainerslosers.com/
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- https://tickerrisk.com/heatmap/gainers
- https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/losers/
- https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/tsla-stock-rises-as-swedish-union-ends-nearly-3-year-strike-after-tesla-buyouts/
- https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/08/13/is-the-reported-400-billion-astrazeneca-bristol-my/
- https://www.financialjuice.com/News/9721028/Apple-to-introduce-range-of-AI-tools-in-China-in-coming-months-sources.aspx
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- https://www.fool.com/coverage/stock-market-today/2026/08/12/stock-market-today-aug-12-stocks-edge-higher-as-inflation-data-eases-fed-rate-pressure/
- https://spectrumlocalnews.com/us/snplus/business/2026/08/13/stock-market-august-13-2026
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- https://stockmarketwatch.com/live/stock-market-today
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Trace Index
Tool-call traces are persisted under /srv/swarm_web_runs/run-1786681351874-0001/finance_output/traces.