Retail sales dragged us off the highs, and now we’re all watching Walmart to see if it’s just a summer blip

← Thursday, August 13, 2026 · Sunday, August 16, 2026 → · Archive

Morning brief: Inflation got quiet, the S&P went vertical, and we’re riding this software wave all the way up

S&P 500 Hits Record on Soft PPI Data: Stocks rallied to new highs after flat July wholesale inflation eased rate fears ahead of today's market open. Workday Jumps 17.78% on Buyout Report: Shares exploded following reports that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to acquire the software company. SanDisk Soars 13.67% After Investor Day: The stock surged as management projected eighty percent gross margins and pledged full excess cash returns to shareholders. Cerebras Drops 11.85% on Profit Squeeze: Shares tumbled after a wider second quarter net loss and margin pressure overshadowed strong cloud revenue growth. Retail Sales Report Set to Test Rally: Traders are watching upcoming U.S. retail sales data before the bell to confirm consumer strength supports the market.

S&P 500 Hits Record on Soft PPI Data

Stocks rallied to new highs after flat July wholesale inflation eased rate fears ahead of today's market open.

Workday Jumps 17.78% on Buyout Report

Shares exploded following reports that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to acquire the software company.

SanDisk Soars 13.67% After Investor Day

The stock surged as management projected eighty percent gross margins and pledged full excess cash returns to shareholders.

Cerebras Drops 11.85% on Profit Squeeze

Shares tumbled after a wider second quarter net loss and margin pressure overshadowed strong cloud revenue growth.

Retail Sales Report Set to Test Rally

Traders are watching upcoming U.S. retail sales data before the bell to confirm consumer strength supports the market.

Posture: With Fear & Greed at 67 (Greed) and S&P at highs on cool PPI, we hold a selectively bullish stance while awaiting retail sales data.

Tickers in focus: SPY, WDAY, SNDK

Upcoming earnings

  • WMT — 2026-08-20, TBD
  • CRM — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • IREN — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • NVDA — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • MRVL — 2026-08-27, TBD
  • WDAY — 2026-08-27, After Market Close

Evening brief: Retail sales dragged us off the highs, and now we’re all watching Walmart to see if it’s just a summer blip

Stocks Slip Off Records on Retail Drag: Major indexes backed off all-time highs as a surprise 0.6% July retail sales drop reignited concerns over consumer economic health. AAOI Spikes 15.5% on AI Fiber Demand: Applied Optoelectronics surged 15.53% on robust 800G optical demand and potential FCC restrictions on Chinese transceiver imports. RDDT Surges 12.6% on S&P 500 Entry: Reddit jumped 12.63% after S&P Dow Jones announced the social platform will join the S&P 500 index next week, triggering passive demand. AVGO Drops 5.9% on Financing Fears: Broadcom sank 5.94% as Wall Street analysts raised red flags concerning a massive $370 billion proposed debt financing vehicle. Walmart Earnings to Test Consumer Health: Focus shifts to Walmart earnings next Thursday to confirm whether consumer spending softness is broad-based or a temporary July blip.

Stocks Slip Off Records on Retail Drag

Major indexes backed off all-time highs as a surprise 0.6% July retail sales drop reignited concerns over consumer economic health.

AAOI Spikes 15.5% on AI Fiber Demand

Applied Optoelectronics surged 15.53% on robust 800G optical demand and potential FCC restrictions on Chinese transceiver imports.

RDDT Surges 12.6% on S&P 500 Entry

Reddit jumped 12.63% after S&P Dow Jones announced the social platform will join the S&P 500 index next week, triggering passive demand.

AVGO Drops 5.9% on Financing Fears

Broadcom sank 5.94% as Wall Street analysts raised red flags concerning a massive $370 billion proposed debt financing vehicle.

Walmart Earnings to Test Consumer Health

Focus shifts to Walmart earnings next Thursday to confirm whether consumer spending softness is broad-based or a temporary July blip.

Posture: With Greed at 65 alongside retail weakness, we adopt a cautiously optimistic stance focused on cash-generative quality leaders.

Tickers in focus: WMT, SPY, RDDT

Upcoming earnings

  • WMT — 2026-08-20, TBD
  • CRM — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • IREN — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • NVDA — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • MRVL — 2026-08-27, TBD
  • WDAY — 2026-08-27, After Market Close

The day's moves on the ledger

No slate changes were logged this day.

← Thursday, August 13, 2026 · Sunday, August 16, 2026 → · Archive