Results of the Trading Week: August 4–8, 2026

Briefly. The first full week of August ended with growth in the American market. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed at record highs, while the Nasdaq increased by 5.2% for the week, thanks to the return of demand for semiconductor stocks. The optimism was driven by a surprisingly weak U.S. labor market report for July: investors interpreted it as a signal that the Federal Reserve would not rush to raise rates.

How the U.S. indexes closed

Trading results for Friday, August 7, and the result for the week:

• S&P 500 — 7,757.64 points (+0.62% for the day, +3.6% for the week). The index closed above the 7,700 mark for the first time in history and had its best week since April.
• Nasdaq Composite — 26,690.62 (+1.3% for the day, +5.2% for the week). The main contribution was from a bounce in chip stocks: the sector ETF on semiconductors rose more than 7% for the week.
• Dow Jones — 54,036.93 (+0.28% for the day, about +3% for the week). On Tuesday, August 4, the index closed above 54,000 points for the first time in history.

For the S&P 500 and Dow, it was the second consecutive week of growth.

What drove the market

Employment report and Fed rate expectations

The key event was the July labor market report. The number of jobs outside of agriculture unexpectedly decreased by 23,000, while unemployment levels and the economically active population share dropped. The market interpreted this data as follows: the Fed, led by Kevin Warsh, had fewer reasons to raise the rate in September. Weaker rate expectations pushed stocks up and bond yields down.

Return of interest in technology

The market started the week with a strong bounce. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 gained 1.79% and hit a record high for the first time in two months, the Nasdaq rose by 2.59%, and the Dow jumped by over 900 points. Demand returned to the tech sector, especially chipmakers, following the summer downturn.

Individual stories of the week

• SpaceX. Shares of the company, which went public in June, rose by about 12% on Friday and increased by about 19% for the week amid growing investor interest.
• Alibaba. Shares rose by 4% on Monday after the announcement of a new AI model.
• Friday's leaders and laggards. Notable gainers included Nvidia (+2.33%), Salesforce (+2.47%), and Honeywell (+2.28%); Visa (-2.20%), Chevron (-1.49%), and Caterpillar (-1.46%) underperformed the market.

Global markets briefly

In Europe, indexes ended the week with moderate gains. In Asia, the picture was mixed: Hong Kong rose, Japan's Nikkei closed almost unchanged. Oil lost about 5% during the week on news of possible de-escalation in the Middle East, which restrained oil company stocks.

What to consider for investors

Record closures are a reason for a sober assessment, not euphoria. The market is currently heavily tied to one theme (technology and AI), and Fed rate decisions remain the main source of volatility: the next data on inflation and employment can quickly change sentiment. Access to U.S. stocks—from Nvidia to recent IPOs—can be gained through the "Stock Broker" app, and the "Academy" section helps with understanding terms.

This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an individual investment recommendation. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Data are as of the close on August 7, 2026, from public sources.